All I Want for Christmas is…
by CrimsonINsight
Summary: Kagura has decided to be a good girl because she wants to receive presents from Santa. This isn't as easy as it sounds, though; Especially when a guy like Okita is around. But if she's nice enough, then maybe…the sadist will give her something too? An OkiKagu fic about life, death, time—and how the future is connected to the past.
1. Your Head on a Plate

**_Author's Note:_**

Hey guys, **CrimsonINsight** here. This is my first _Gintama_ fanfic, so don't expect much... I just felt like writing _Okita Sougo x Kagura _because I adore the pairing. This story starts with how Kagura wants to become a good girl for Christmas, but has a hard time doing so because a guy like Okita is around. The real plot will be revealed later.

Forgive me for the out-of-characterness and bad grammar, but I hope you guys will enjoy my fic as much as I enjoyed writing it. Reviews are appreciated~

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><p><strong>All I want for Christmas is...<strong>

_**...Your Head On a Plate.** [Chapter 1]_

"_Bes ureto. Att end myp arty. Butt he. Foo di sall. Mine. Aru. Gya. Ha. Haha." _Hijikata looked up from the piece of paper he had just read to send Gintoki a questioned look. "Oi, Yorozuya. What's the meaning of this?"

Before the lazy samurai could say anything, Kagura slid the small door aside and got out of the cupboard she slept in. Her untied vermilion-dyed hair reached her shoulders, and unlike usual, she was not wearing a red cheongsam with yellow piping, but pink pajamas.

"Tax robbers are really stupid-aru. It's an invitation to my birthday party!" the girl exclaimed bluntly, shamelessly insulting the officer as she firmly rested a pair of delicate hands on her slim hips. "Besides, can't you even read properly? Gin-chan says you have'ta put effort into everything you do, _konoyarou_! It's supposed to sound like this: _'Be sure to attend my party, but the food is all mine-aru! **GYAHAHAHA!~**'_"

Finding her speech annoying, Toushirou's frown deepened tremendously. "…Haa?"

"Kagura…," the silver-haired male spoke up lazily, "You should head back to sukonbu-heaven or wherever you just came from. Sleep helps a child grow, y'know?"

"I'm no child. I'm a lady-aru!" The Yato corrected him forthrightly; an adorable pout adorning her lips. _Yes. When the clock hits 12, I, Gintama's cute heroine, will turn 15-aru! _So far, she had lived 1/6 of a human life—and _that _was definitely something to be proud of!

"Everyone who looks forward to their own birthday is still a child," the sugarholic stated. "Now, didn't I tell you to go back to your room?" He waved a dismissive hand at her, like what parents would do if their kid interrupted them while they discussed who was going to top in bed later that night.

"But Gin-chan, I don't have a room-aru," the girl pointed out, her voice hinting of utter disappointment. "It's just a cabinet shelf."

"Mou, kids these days. They're never satisfied with anything," Gintoki complained and closed his eyes as he stuck a pinkie finger into his ear, twisting it around. After flicking away some ear wax, he turned back to the girl so they could continue the lesson. "Listen here. A room is a space separated from other spaces. Kagura, aren't you sleeping in such a space?_ Exactly!_ That wondrous space you look down at for being a _mere_ **cabinet shelf** is, in fact, a room! And that fawesome thing you call** sliding door **is obviously a shouji – It's traditional Japanese architecture! Only rich people have those! Aren't ya lucky? Gin-san is jealous! Now go back to your _wondrous space _before I cut down your salary."

"Gin-san, please don't make up things just because you can't afford to rent more rooms," Shinpachi told him, for it was his job as the straight man of the show, "Since when did we ever get paid for working here anyway?"

As always, his friend ignored him and his boring lectures. The boy couldn't take the awkward silence that had started to fill the room's every corner like poisonous gas, so he turned to the Vice-Commander. "I'm very sorry about that, Hijikata-san," referring to the invitation, "—but our Kagura-chan wanted to invite some Shinsengumi members to her birthday party." _…though I have no idea why,_ he added as a mental notice. As far as he remembered, the Yorozuya had never gotten along with them. Not on regular basis, at least.

"As police officers who keep the peace in Edo, we're too busy to attend parties," Hijikata stated strictly, "But I'll see what I can do."

"Keeping the peace?" Gintoki snorted. "More like causing trouble and annoying the crap out of people, if you ask me."

"No one asked you!" The blue-eyed samurai balled his fist at Sakata, quite irritated, "Wanna fight, bastard?"

"Fine. Let's get this over with."

"Ready?"

"Whenever you are."

"ONE!"

"TWO!"

"THREE!"

"STARTING WITH ROCK! – ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!"

Kagura stared dully at them 'fight' and was about to tell those two to stop acting like MADAOs _(MAtomo ni DAkaretakunai Otoko: Men no one wants to date), _when a certain someone spoke up. "Hijikata-san, she said the food is hers. I don't feel like going if there's nothing to eat."

The girl's eyes widened remarkably at the sound of his monotone voice, her heart skipping a beat. It was that guy again. _Oh, _how she loathed him. How could he talk about her birthday in such a manner? _  
><em>

By now, the _men no one wanted to date _had dropped their silly argument, and instead decided to watch the youngsters.

"What did you say-aru?" Turning sharply in the direction of their doorway, she sent him a dark glare. "Want me to kill you, you damn brat!"

"That's harsh." As though the Yorozuya office was his personal zen garden of some sort, the crimson-eyed lad showed no sign of shame or whatsoever as he stepped into the room, still in the dirt-stained boots he had been walking Edo's dusty streets with. "Oi, China. Are you into _neglect play_? 'cause your guests are gonna boycott the party if you keep threaten them like that. "

"Shut up! Unlike you, I don't have those disgusting fetishes!"

Aside from his annoying deadpan attitude, the words he spoke also made her want to choke him to death. Why did he always have to start an argument with her _every _time their paths crossed? Why couldn't that bastard just stay out of her life, where he belonged? It was a bad idea to invite him she realized at last, but it was too late now.

The only reason why Kagura wanted to include them on her guest list was because of the presents. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the girl knew there was a big difference between Gintoki's and a Shinsengumi member's salary._ I should have left that sadist out-aru. He would probably have given me something useless and disgusting anyway. _

"Aah… A headache is coming up," the perm-head said to no one in particular while rubbing the back of his head. Whenever she was too loud, he always tried to catch her attention like that. After all, the only times it was acceptable for him to get a headache was when it was caused by a hangover - because it _'couldn't be helped'_, as he would say.

"Fine-aru. Good night, and Happy Birthday to me in advance~" She didn't feel like arguing with the sandy-haired boy any further, because it was way past bedtime already. _I need sleep so I can hurry up and grow into a beautiful woman-aru, _she motivated herself to leave, _When that time comes, people will get down on their knees and __**beg **__me to invite them to my party!_

"Sweet nightmares."

"_…_" The Yato shifted her gaze back to the crimson-eyed guy. That wasn't how people usually greeted someone good night, was it? "What are you saying, you br-?"

"'_Brat'?_" He cut her off before she could finish her sentence, finding it contradicting that she could even use that word as an insult despite being 4 years younger than him. "Oi, China. Are you still dreaming? Wake up already. Or better; sleep forever and never wake up. At least you can't pollute the air with your verbal diarrhea."

"OI!" Kagura raised her voice to an even higher level than before, tightly grabbing onto the shirt collar of his ink-colored Shinsengumi uniform. "Do you want your death now-aru? Are you so excited that you can't wait?" She had to use every ounce of willpower not to punch Sougo in the face, because it was_ extremely _tempting at the moment. Normally, she would have done it too.

But not today.

"Too bad, your attempts to anger me won't work anymore-aru! I'm old enough to act_ mature_ and handle this like a grown-up would! Gyahahaha~" The blue-eyed alien smirked confidentially. Shesh, as if she'd lose her cool because of a trivial matter as this. She was almost 15 years of age after all, and a real lady at that.

"Ah. Before I forget it…" the captain sent her a gentle smile_ (which was thoroughly charming, she couldn't help but notice)_. "Happy Birthday."

"Hah! Didn't I tell you? It won't work o—…! Huh?" Kagura blinked in surprise as a delicate shade of pink colored her puffy cheeks. _What… Wait. Did he just…? …_

"You deaf? I said _Happy Birthday_," Sougo repeated once more, this time a little louder than before in case her hearing indeed had gone bad.

No, she was not mistaken.

His subtle words of kindness filled the fair maiden with pure felicity. They caught her completely off guard and triggered the feeling of nervousness that ever so often laid asleep somewhere deeply within her soul.

This feeling was different from the unpleasant turbulence she had to go through when faced with an obnoxious task, whether it be serving rushed errands for the Yorozuya or when bombarded by whirlwinds of discouraging statements. In fact, this odd sense of nervousness lifted her spirits, revealing a blanket of soothing sensations that eventually calmed her nerves. Such a feeling surprised even herself, as it gently persuaded the girl to act more tender and kind like a damsel in all her femininity.

Although this guy recurrently made her want to throw a tantrum every now and then, there was also an undeniable admiration hidden beneath her apparent tenacious surface. As a child of the Yato species, she could not help the fact that she became easily attracted to strong people – and Sougo _was_ exceptionally strong for being a mere human, especially at such a young age.

After the times they had interacted, Kagura realized there was a lot more to him than what met the eye. Skilled with the sword, loyal to his Commander, and good looking _(not that she would ever admit this to him, though). _Those were only few of the more favorable things about the sadist, not to mention how he actually was a nice person deep, deep down.

…As in deep, deep, _deeeeeeeep_ down.

If it weren't for his sarcastic comments, sadistic teasing and deadpan attitude, then maybe…just_ maybe_ they could have gotten along. Not that she cared either way, but…

"Um… th…thanks, I gue-…"

"Let's hope height won't be the only part of you growing this year."

…

She should have known.

Feigning good will. Cloaking the truth.

Bluffing was a sadist's specialty. Making small mistakes around one could cause a fatal aftereffect. How could she forget? Perspiration beaded on her forehead, and soon, a popped vein joined in too. Who cared about acting mature anymore?

_"JERK!"_ the red-head yammered loudly as she lunged towards Okita. "DIE, YOU SADISTIC BASTARD!"

"Ladies first. There's no need to be shy," the boy retorted with ease, unshaken by the other's murderous aura as he dodged each and every punch that were launched at him.

"DO I LOOK SHY TO YOU?" Her cheeks reddened remarkably, but that didn't stop her out-stretched hands from attempting to choke the sadist empty for air.

"Weren't you desperate about becoming a lady? Well, here's your chance."

"That's a different thing-aru! _DAMMIT!_"

"Oi Sougo, stop fooling around," Hijikata interrupted amidst of all the noise. "We're heading back to the headquarters."

He was in absolutely no way obliged to continue watching from the side-lines to know that this particular fight had the potential to get ugly if he let them be any longer. Then again, with these two as contestants - wouldn't that always be the case?

Embarrassed and slightly disappointed, the blue-eyed alien let go of Sougo with a "Hmf" and stomped all the way back to her cabinet shelf. She crawled into the cupboard and shut the shouji so hard that the slide-door came off. At this, Kagura blushed brightly and tried to put it back in place while everyone watched her. She couldn't help but notice how the corner of the sadist's lips curled up to an evil smirk. She had, once again, fallen victim to his teasing – Like she always did. It irritated her so, but there was nothing she could do about it.

No matter how hard the girl tried to fall asleep that night, she didn't succeed…because a certain someone kept occupying her mind. Obviously.

_[End of Chapter 1]_

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><p><em><strong>A.N.<strong>_

_Even though Kagura's birthday is mentioned, I'm afraid I won't write about it in this fic. I might do it later and post it as a one-shot, who knows. I hope you enjoyed it so far even though it was short. Also… Reviews are love~_


	2. A Special Kind of Sword

**All I want for Christmas is...**

_**...A Special Kind of Sword.**__ [Chapter 2]_

It was a chilly afternoon in Edo, quite unlike any other when the heat beat down on one and every citizen alike. Perhaps the sun was to blame. Instead of casually spreading its rays for all humans to see, it kept peeking out from behind puffy clouds like shy girl would while stalking her idolized crush.

"Gin-chan, isn't this thing nice-aru?" The Yato asked as she pointed at an _aiFon _a shop had put on display by the window. "It's like a cellphone-aru, only better! Aside from calling and texting, you can also take pictures of your friends while they take a dump, listen to crappy music like _Rustin Beaver _or _Stinkin' Fart_, play _Angry Nerds—_and so much more! It's nice, yes? Don't you think so-aru? Gin-chan!~"

"…" Gintoki stared dimly at the price tag, his eyebrow twitching in disbelief. No matter how strong Kagura's _puri-puri-puriizu!-_vibes were, it was totally out of his reach. No way a freelancer like him, who was struggling with paying his rent, could afford a thing as expensive as this. He did, however, always have enough money to buy parfaits – but that was a matter of survival and didn't count.

"…Ch-Children really don't get it, do they," the samurai stated as he tried to sound knowledgeable.

"Get what-aru?" The redhead pouted, her eyes narrowing at the older man. She had spent more than enough time with Sakata to know that her friend was about to throw in some kind of made-up-at-the-spot reason for her to stop wanting the item.

"Take the listen to music-part, for example. Even though that thing can _play_ music, it doesn't _have_ any songs until you transfer some to it by sticking a special kind of sword up its crotch. Kagura…_ DO YOU HAVE THAT KIND OF SWORD?_"

"Um… No-aru. I don't."

"_Exactly._"

"…_USB-cable_, Gin-san. USB-cable," The straight man corrected him and lightly shook his head. What _was_ he going to do with these guys? "Of course you don't have one, Kagura-chan. It comes with the _aiFon_."

The blue-eyed girl ignored Shimura's words completely, since his common sense did not interest her the least. "Gin-chan. The other day, you said that you had a _special kind of sword _in your pants-aru. Can I borrow it?"

"…Is it just me, or did this conversation about transferring music just make a strange turn…?" Shinpachi muttered as he watched the other two converse. There were times he wondered why he hung out with these idiots – and right now was one of those times.

"_Absolutely not!_" The sugarholic replied to the girl's question about borrowing his amazing _joystick_. "My special sword can only rest in the scabbard known as a girl!"

"G-GIN-SAN! WHY ARE YOU TEACHING HER SUCH THINGS?"

"What a useless sword-aru. Let's chop it off."

"Oi, oi, it's not useless! My sword makes girls happy! Why do you think it's called the _joystick_? Of course! Because it's a stick that brings joy!" The older man explained. "Kagura! One day, a sword like mine will make you happy too! Now apologize to all the _sword wielders_ out there!"

Kagura decided to give up on begging Gintoki, as she saw no point in asking a penniless lad for gifts. "I don't care-aru. I just want some presents for Christmas."

"Presents, huh? That's easy," the lazy samurai replied as he followed after her with Shinpachi right behind him. "If you're a good girl, Santa will give you some when Christmas comes."

The young lady stopped and blinked a few times before she nodded, excited. "Of course-aru!" Kagura exclaimed, paying no heed to the passerby who gave her weird looks. "How could I forget about Santa?" Truth to be told, it wasn't like she _actually_ forgot about him. She was just too caught up in the thought of having her friends buy her stuff.

After a short thinking break, the Yato giggled happily to herself. "I've decided-aru!" She placed her hands on her back and whipped around to face the other Yorozuya members. "I'm gonna be so good that it'll leave Santa no other choice but to give me tons and tons of presents!~"

"…What."

"Dondake!"

_[End of Chapter 2]_

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><p><strong><em>Author's Note:<em>**

_*Parodies: iPhone, Justin Bieber, Linkin Park, Angry Birds_


	3. To Stab You to Death

**All I want for Christmas is...**

**_...To Stab You To Death. _**_[Chapter 3]_

Kagura spent the next day in town to write down a list of things she wanted for Christmas. She refrained from saying bad words, and did not lose her cool even once. Of course there were times when she felt like talking back at people and beating them up, but the thought of all the gifts kept her from doing so. _  
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It had gotten dark when the blue-eyed alien finally wanted to retire for the night. She could feel the cold winter air bite against her fair skin, and see how her own breath became visible like tiny puffs of smoke before it soon disappeared into nothingness. _In a few days,_ _everything will be covered in white-aru_… the girl thought in delight. It could get freezing during this time of the year, but the Yato loved the cozy feeling she felt every time she thought about the snow, candlelight, Christmas decorations, parties, and of course, – _the presents._

Upon passing an empty playground, aquamarines were fixated on someone familiar. Black Shinsengumi uniform, light brown hair…and even though the Yato couldn't see his eyes _(since bangs were covering them)_, she was certain those orbs of his had a deep hue of crimson. No doubt about it.

_The sadist must be on patrol, _Kagura guessed out of the blue, but quickly discarded that mental notice. Even stupid tax robbers didn't usually patrol empty playgrounds, did they? Besides, he was just standing there, immersed in his own thoughts while gazing at the star-covered sky.

It was such a rare sight, seeing the maroon-eyed male like this. The Yato couldn't read his facial expression, but she could feel it. How he was filled with emotions… Emotions he could not show to anyone…

"…_He is…grieving…" _the youngster murmured, not sure how she knew it. Must have been the gut feeling-thing Otae always talked about. Girls had those.

In an attempt to act nice for the sake of the presents, the vermilion haired girl gathered all her courage to approach him.

_Santa, please watch me-aru!_

"Hey Okita-kun," Kagura called out to Sougo, tenderly.

At the sound of her voice, the boy glanced over his shoulder. Although the clanswoman was currently wearing the sweetest smile she managed to pull off, Sougo's indifferent attitude didn't budge. The look in his ruby optics suggested lack of emotions, but in addition to that, **feebleness **after feeling _too _much. He resembled an otaku after failing his final math exam; cheerless by reason of his parents scolding him big time, but too drained to care because who the hell draws manga about math anyway.

"Are you…okay-aru?"

"Ah. It's just you," the brunet replied in monotony whilst turning around to face her fully. His eyes scanned the Yorozuya member closely, feasibly doubtful of her intentions. "Sure am, but you're acting lame. You hit your head somewhere?"

A vein popped on her forehead, but she kept telling herself to endure Okita's rude remarks. Well. No one said it would be easy to act nice around the sadist. He was an opportunist and would take advantage of everyone just to satisfy his sadistic needs. Challenges were fun, but this was getting unpleasant.

"M-Mou, y-you're funny~ I've decided to act like a real lady, that all." It was getting hard to keep up with this façade. "You see, Gin-chan says Santa only gives presents to good people."

"Good _children_," the captain corrected her grimly, "Are you a brat or a lady, decide already."

"I'm… I-I'm a young lady-aru~ Uh-uh!" Kagura nodded with false joy and sent him another restrained smile.

"Whatever…" the sandy-haired lad wore a bored expression on his face as he gazed up at the sky again, his hands automatically seeking for warmth in his pockets.

"…You're weird, China."

Since acting nice didn't seem to work on him, the Yato decided to change her tactics. "It's okay. Um… Sou-chan," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I just want presents-aru. Even if everyone thinks I'm weird, it's still worth a try."

"…Sou…chan…?" At this, the brown-haired male raised an eyebrow as a frown invaded his visage. "Oi. What's with that."

"I-I told you! I'm trying to be a good girl-aru," the redhead almost yelled, now unable to hide her embarrassment. Considering the fact that he was such a difficult guy to deal with, she thought calling him _Sou-chan_ would help her get closer to him. How could she have known that he would become even more distant? _  
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It was as if the sadist saw this, because he suddenly stretched out his hand to mess up her hair – probably in an attempt to irritate her, but at the same time also lighten up the mood. "Stuu—pid. Santa looks for children who're nice _all_ the time, not those last-minute brats who try to change their ways right before Christmas."

"Th…That's why I'm going to be nice now-aru!" The blue-eyed alien pouted cutely as she tried to remove his hands, quite relieved that the awkwardness was as good as gone.

"If you keep acting nice despite the way I treat you, I might give you a present. What do you want; a beetle or cockroach – or both?" the captain deadpanned, teasing her like he usually did.

"I don't want any of that-aru," she muttered in irritation and tried to fix her hair when he let go of her at last. _Insects for Christmas? What does that jerk take me for!_

"Tch. What kind of things do you like anyway? Food?" Okita asked out of curiosity, as she didn't seem interested in clothes and make-up like most girls her age.

"Aah! Seriously-aru? You're going to give me a present? Thank you, stupid sadist!" Kagura's face brightened up at his words, her eyes sparkling in excitement.

"…ha?" the Prince of Sadists blinked. "Wait. How is that related to my questio—?"

"Really? Like,** reallyreally**?" the Yato moved her face closer to his; a genuine smile blossomed on her lips for the first time since their encounter. She was so excited about the gift that the other's words couldn't reach her. "The jerk is gonna buy me something?

"Never said I would."

"Well, since you insist~"

"I don't."

"Anything is okay-aru!"

"Cockroach it is, then."

"I want a nice one~ It better not be some kind of trick."

"You said _anything _would be okay."

"Surprise me, yes?"

"I'll arrest you."

"Surprises are fun – Gin-chan said so!"

"I'll arrest him too."

"I can't wait!"

"Oi. Are you even listening?"

It was obvious that she didn't. The young lady kept giggling softly to herself as she stood there, only a few inches away from her rival. Okita who still hadn't gotten used to her good-girl act, was confused and not very pleased with how his insults didn't seem to bother her.

The crimson-eyed male looked away in annoyance, his eyebrows furrowed. "Since you're so _poor _and _miserable_, I guess I'll buy you something." Sougo said, just for the heck of it. He wanted her to leave him alone, but soon realized he was only making things worse for himself.

"Haa~ I'll give you a gift too! I can't afford an expensive one, though; Gin-chan refuses to give me much money, uh-uh!" Kagura beamed, too happy to notice the sarcastic tone in his voice. "So, what do you want-aru?"

The sadist stared blankly at her in disbelief. Was this girl innocent, ignorant or just stupid? He wasn't sure anymore. "Don't bother. Unlike you, it's not like I don't have the money to buy stuff."

"Fine. I'm just going to give you sukonbu, then," the vermillion red-haired maiden waved some pickled seaweed in front of his face. Better give him something than owing him, yes? "Here. Don't forget my present, okay?"

"No need," the boy pushed her hand away, but she refused to give up and kept trying to shove the snack in his mouth.

"Ehh~? Why?"

"It tastes like shit."

"Does not! Come on, I insist~"

"Don't want it."

"Just eat it already!"

"No."

"EAT OR DIE!"

"…Oi, China. I changed my mind," Sougo quickly grabbed her wrist to end their small game of wrestling. "…There _is_ something you can give me."

He was confident that she would leave him alone after he presented this idea.

"Really-aru? What's that?" Kagura tilted her head to the side in confusion as she tried to ignore the small but noticeable amount of body heat being transmitted from his grip. "Don't pick an expensive thing, yes? I can't afford it-aru."

"Guess I have to spell it out for you. China wouldn't have understood otherwise; she's such an airhead, after all."

"D-Don't underestimate me…," an adorable pout adorned the girl's lips. The sadist sent her a charming smile as he used his free hand to caress her cheek in a gentle, almost _loving_ manner. He lowered his voice and whispered softly in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "…If you let me kiss you, I'll let it go."

"E-EH? W-Wha- a k-kiss?" Blushing furiously, the blue-eyed alien tried to take back her hand and regain the distance between them, – not because she didn't enjoy the closeness, but because she was nervous. So nervous that she started to panic and just wanted to run away from everything. "W-Wait a minute! G-Gin-chan told me that y-you should give your first kiss to the one y-you love…!"

"…" The 1st Division captain grew quiet for an instant. This wasn't the kind of reply he had expected. Okita thought she was going to put up a fight with him or get mad – Maybe even hit him. But she didn't. The sadist smirked inwardly as he pulled her even closer to him, his eyes never leaving hers. "…You don't want it…?"

Silence filled the air as crimson pool met blue ocean. The moment only lasted for a second or two, but for Kagura, it felt as if the time had stopped… It was as if she was…_captivated _by him… The girl's heart beat so fast and she felt how her knees got weak all of the sudden. How she just wanted to let herself fall into his embrace… Had the sadist always been this good looking?

"…U-Um…w…w-where…?" Kagura managed to utter after some time, her voice barely above whisper. "…Th-The k-kiss…I mean…" she looked down in embarrassment. The young lady couldn't help the fact that she actually _wanted _that kiss. She had seen people do it in the TV dramas Gintoki always watched, and wondered how it felt if her lips met someone else's.

"Why that expression? It's_ just_ a kiss. Besides…" A finger traced her jawline before it lifted up her chin. "…isn't it obvious where…?"

Her face became redder – if that was possible anyway. "W-Wait! I-It's going to be m-my first kiss, s-so it's n-not_ just_ a kiss…! W-We aren't even g-going out! D-Do you usually kiss random girls?"

"Oi, China. It's not like you to act like this. Just close your eyes and let me kiss you already," the boy deadpanned, tightening his grip on her.

"B-But you have to d-date me after this…'cause y-you need to t-take responsibility-aru!" the vermillion red-haired teen blurted out without caring about how embarrassing it was. He was a jerk, but a handsome one at that – and she was just a girl who couldn't fight off these strange, unfamiliar feelings. It wasn't like she was in love with Sougo or anything _(yet)_, but… she felt very… _attracted_ to him. Was this what people called a crush? _Why him of all people…?_

"Dating? Responsibility? Do you realize what you're saying?" the brown-haired guy asked, raising an eyebrow, "You hate me, don't you."

"I…I d-don't really…h-hate you that much…," Kagura admitted and looked away, "You're the one who hates me-aru. With those sarcastic comments and insults of yours…"

"I don't hate you. That's just how I act," he paused shortly before continuing, "But really. You're okay with dating a sadist like me? Why? Aren't these kinds of things very important for young girls? Like. That you have to decide carefully or something."

"W-Well. You can get kinda annoying sometimes…or all the time," the alien started to get even more nervous, "B-But if I'm going to kiss someone, it should be with my b-boyfriend, uh-uh."

"…Is that so. Well," the Shinsengumi captain smirked, "I suppose…I wouldn't mind dating you…"

At those last words, the dark shade of red spread across her whole face – and with a light nod, Kagura shut her eyes tight.

_He said…that he didn't mind dating me-aru… _For the first time in her life, she actually felt like a real lady…

It made her…

_…very happy…_

Sougo seemed to hesitate a bit. Could it be…that despite his deadpan attitude, the sadist was actually…nervous about this…? Did his heart beat fast too…? Had he always wanted her attention like she wanted his…? As these thoughts ran across her mind, the boy gradually leaned closer to her, his cheeks tinted pink.

She could feel his soft breathing against her skin… It was as though her heart was about to burst. His gentle touch made her tremble with excitement as their lips were about to touch…

…

While she stood there with her eyes closed, Okita slowly raised his hand…

…and flicked her forehead.

"Never believe in sadists. Stuu~pid," the sadist deadpanned.

Kagura opened her eyes instantly as realization struck her hard. He had made fun of her…_**again**__!_

"GAH! BASTAAARD!" She shouted and kicked his stomach as hard as she could without using her Yato powers. "STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUUUPID!"

Her vision started to get blurry because of the tears which had formed in the corner of her eyes. Words could not describe how embarrassed, hurt and betrayed she felt right now. She, who had been so honest… Treated him so nice… Opened herself to him… Trusted his words… How _dare_ he play with her feelings like that! _How could he!_ But what hurt the most, was the fact that he was completely right… Why did she believe him in the first place? He was a fricking sadist, for frick's sake!

Sougo winced in pain and his knees gave in. The crimson-eyed boy hugged his stomach with one hand as he placed the other on the cold ground for support. "…O-Oi…what happened to the good girl-act? …," the crimson-eyed man muttered mostly to himself as he watched her run away. Even though he had successfully ruined her promise to Santa, it didn't feel very satisfying…

"…Are all girls so difficult to handle? …Dammit…"

_[End of Chapter 3]_

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><p><em><strong>A.N.<strong>_

_A-Ahahaha. I'll just go and hide or something._

_This is random - but like I mentioned before, this fanfic is based on a roleplay...and you know the last part? When I pulled that joke on my Kagura, she actually fell for it. I think that was the first time in my life that a character I roleplayed was called "stupid", "jerk", "idiot" and "bastard" 70 times or something. XD I think I'm one of the most, if not the most, hated Okita on facebook. If you search on "__**Okita Jerkaiser Sougo**__", maybe you'll find me. ;D No, seriously._

_Kagura is just trying to act like a good girl in this one, so don't mind the out of character-ness. Thanks for the reviews; they make me very happy._


	4. An Apology From You

**All I want for Christmas is…**

…_**An Apology From You.**__ [Chapter 4]_

"Gin-san, don't you find it strange? Two days have passed since Kagura-chan set her foot outside the Yorozuya office," The straight man said worriedly as he poured some tea for himself. "She barely leaves her cabinet shelf…"

"_Wonderous space_," the sugarholic corrected lazily as he lied on the couch and flipped to the next page of his JUMP. "Let her be, Shinpachi. Kagura is at the age where it's normal for her to be strange; the _red sea of life_ keeps gushing out from the delicate flower between her legs, after a-"

_HIT._

"UGH-!" Gintoki sat up instantly and let out a muffled scream whilst covering a hand over his bleeding nose. The one mentioned was standing beside Sakata with her fist clenched, a creepy grin spread across her face.

"Look who's having the _red sea of life_ gushing out of them-aru! GYAHAHAHA~" The Yato laughed unlady-like before turning on her heel.

A girl's mood didn't always have something to do with her period. Who spread that kind of rumor? It was true that mood swings might occur more frequently during those days, however our youngster could also stay agitated for weeks if she wanted to – regardless of her menstrual cycle.

Walking out the door, the teenager left behind a bleeding nose and a shocked pair of glasses.

When Kagura stepped outside, she opened her purple umbrella to shield herself from the beaming sun. The cold winter air bit lightly against her skin, but it was a lovely afternoon either way. _Yoosh_~ _Imma buy sukonbu-aru!_ The seaweed lover thought as she started to walk, the corners of her lips curled up to a light smile. It felt as if she hadn't been outside in ages.

The blue-eyed alien didn't want to think about _that _incident anymore. It wasn't like she felt anything special for him in the first place_. _Feelings? What feelings. Screw Okita, two days was more than enough for her to recover.

_Let's just hope I won't meet him again anytime soon-aru, _the girl thought as she skipped along the road, twirling her umbrella. Luck wasn't on her side today, though. Before she could celebrate her so-called recovery, that jerk appeared.

_…looking dazzling as always._

The emotions she had tried so hard to forget had caught her off guard upon their return. Not only that, but they were even stronger than before. Her chest felt heavy at the sight of him and she had a hard time breathing.

The younger one just stood there, frozen. How was she supposed to react? What was she supposed to say? What _was_ there to say? Or maybe she should just ignore him?

It took a while before the 1st Division Captain noticed her presence. Sougo shifted his gaze away from the shop-window he had been looking at to side-glance at Kagura. He blinked.

"Ah."

A vein popped on the lady's forehead_. Ah. AH. _Was _THAT _the only thing he could say? 'Ah'? No hint of guilt. Not even one word of apology. Nothing! Well,_ of course. _He was a sadist; what did she expect?

"Hmph." The vermillion red-haired girl closed her eyes and was about to pass Okita when he grabbed her arm, making her heart skip a beat. She looked up at him with widened eyes hinting of surprise and annoyance, "The hell are you doin-!"

"Come with me," the crimson-eyed male muttered shortly and dragged her with him without any further explanation. The boy just wanted to find a place he could talk to her in peace, because conversing in the middle of the road didn't seem like a good idea.

"S-Stupid sadist!" Kagura shouted while trying to free herself from him by repeatedly hitting his head with her parasol.

"Iteh-" An expression of pain escaped his lips before he managed to rip the purple rain canopy out of her grasp and regain his calm composure.

"Let go of me-aru!" The blue-eyed alien continued, still persistent. "I SAID LET GO!"

"And what if I don't."

"I'll make you regret it-aru!"

"I'm _so _scared," the sandy brown-haired guy stated, all traces of sarcasm hidden beneath his deadpanned tone, "What are you going to do – bite me to deat-?"

_BITE._

"NGHH-!" Okita winced in pain as Kagura dug her teeth into the arm which linked her to him. He kept pulling the Yato down the street against her will while pushing her head away in an attempt to be saved from the discomfort. "O-Oi. Let go."

"Ywo fwirst-awu!"

"G…Gorillas aren't supposed to eat meat," the sadist tried to keep his dry attitude despite the physical suffering he was going through, "Be good now. I'll give you a banana."

"ASH IV I WAN'T DAT, YWU BWASTWURD!" the sukonbu lover screeched as she kept clinging tightly to the police officer. Those two had to endure this uncomfortable situation for 1 minute –_ or 1 minute and 8 seconds to be exact,_ – before they arrived at an alley and could start their talk. She tried to run away right after he let go of her and returned the umbrella, however.

"Not so fast," Sougo quickly reached for the alien's shoulder to prevent her from leaving.

"Don't touch me!" Kagura slapped his hand away as tears started to form in her eyes. _Dammit… _The teenager had been crying her heart out these past few nights and thought she didn't have any tears left to shed.

Apparently, she was wrong.

She could just as well stay on the spot, because there was no point to walk around in tears. The young lady leaned against the wall and slid down to sit on the ground, hugging her knees. "Don't touch me…" she repeated softly, her voice barely above whisper.

Kagura couldn't believe it. Even after the awful things he had done to her, the strange feeling was still there. The words he said… How close they were… His charming smile… His whispering… His breathing against her skin… His warmth… There was no way she could forget all that.

How he took her up high before letting her fall to her despair…

_She couldn't forget that either._

Why…? Of all times, why did he have to show up now? Hadn't he hurt her enough…? Wasn't this much pain enough to satisfy his sadistic needs…? Such thoughts crossed the girl's mind and she felt so insecure about everything…

These confusing feelings messed her up on the inside. As much as she longed to be with him, the Yato didn't want to let Sougo play with her feelings.

No… She wasn't that stupid…

…_I don't want to get hurt anymore…_

There wasn't going to be a second time… Never again…

…_I have to forget-aru…_

Sougo watched her sit there silence. "…Oi. When are you going to stop crying? For a Yato, you're such a crybaby."

"Shut up! I don't wanna talk to you, you stupid sadistic bastard!" The red-haired teen sobbed, unsure of what she wanted, "You're really a jerk! Stupidstupidstupid!"

"Hai, hai," Okita said lazily as he stared blankly at her. "I don't want to talk to you either, but at least explain to me why you're so mad."

His words pierced through her heart like arrows. "…Why don't you just leave me alone, then…?"

"Because I want to be on good terms with Danna. Now spit it out."

Having this kind of motive…it was so like him. "Isn't it obvious…? I…I-I tried so hard to be good-aru…" her voice started to break, "…b-but now that I've hit you, even Santa won't give me presents…"

"…It's all about the presents, huh," The sadist knelt down on one knee to be on the same height as her. "Look. I didn't think you would take it so seriously… Did you want a kiss that badly?"

"WH-WHAT, are y-you stupid-aru!" Kagura replied, trying her best to deny the truth. "If we k-kissed, I w-would have washed my m-mouth with toilet cleaner!"

"So your mouth _is _a toilet. No wonder why so much shit comes out of it."

"SHUT UP!" Kagura shouted and rubbed her eyes, but tears kept streaming down her face. "I h-hate you-aru! You d-don't understand a g-girl's feelings at all!"

"Of course I don't. I'm a guy," Sougo pointed out bluntly as he got up again. _How annoying… _the guy thought, but he wasn't the type to ignore a crying girl. Even sadists could be moved by tears from time to time – and even though he didn't show it much, the feeling of guilt had been tugging on his heart since that evening.

As the sandy brown-haired boy wondered what to do with this youngster, a growl was heard from her stomach.

"…"

…_No. Nonono. She eats like a mountain gorilla – you'll be broke, Sougo…, _the crimson-eyed boy told himself as he ran a hand through strands of sandy-brown.

"Oi. China."

_Pause._

"…you hungry?"

His sister's kindness must have rubbed off him or something. Okita sighed inwardly.

"I'm not-aru! J-Just leave me alone!" Kagura's shout was followed by another growl which made her blush brightly and try to cover it up by coughing awkwardly. "I-I'm not hungry at all! Uh-uh!"

"Aa~ah. I thought of treating you…" Sougo stuck hands in his pockets and turned to walk away, "…but if you don't want to, I guess it can't be helped."

At the word 'treat', Kagura's face brightened up. "W…Wait…" She quickly wiped the tears away with her sleeve and got up. "S…Sadist, you're gonna treat me? R-Really? You're not joking…right? If you are, Imma get mad-aru…!"

"Hn?" Knowing that victory was his, the sadist stopped and glanced over his shoulder, "I thought you weren't hungry?" He sent her a charming grin and started to walk again. "But if you've changed your mind once again, then… I guess that can't be helped either.

"…" The girl balled fists against her chest as she thought about the different options she had in this situation: walk away and be depressed all day, or make him pay back for what he did by following him around…? It only took a few seconds for her to conclude that the latter sounded like a nice idea.

"F-Fine. I'm hungry-aru," She said in defeat and caught up with the sadist to walk beside of him. If Sougo was serious about giving her food, then it would have been a waste if she thanked no, yes? "N…Ne… Y-You better give me lots of food because of what you did-aru…"

"Whatever," Okita kept his deadpan attitude even though he was relieved that she had agreed to this. "What do you want to eat; Yakiniku? Ramen? Bananas? Dog biscuits?"

"Hey, don't treat me like an animal-aru! I…I want…" She paused to think, "I want everything you said, except for the last ones, uh-uh."

"How demanding can you get, oi."

"But I'm hungry-aru – And seeing your miserable face might make me feel better, so I'll just spend all your mone-"

"Yoosh, time's up. Since you can't choose, we'll go for buffet," Sougo interrupted in a monotone voiced, ignoring everything the other said. "You can eat all you want for a fixed fee without wasting my money – Isn't that great?"

The sukonbu-lover pouted, looking away, "Sou-chan is mean-aru…"

"Don't _'Sou-chan is mean'_ me, you imbecile. It won't work."

"Sh…Shut up, you sadistic bastard…"

The red head stayed quiet after this as she walked beside her rival, step for step…

Kagura didn't dare to see this as a date. On his part, she was probably nothing but a nuisance, and it wasn't like she had forgiven him either – _no, she would never forgive him for that,_ –

…but even so…

Okita had offered to buy food as an attempt to apologize to her, and that was enough to cheer her up to some extent. Of course it would have been nicer if he actually said "Sorry" – Nevertheless, she knew how hard it was for a sadist to put those feelings into words.

_Santa doesn't like needy children-aru, _the Yato told herself, feeling genuine happiness for the first time since that incident,

_I should be content with this…_

_[End of Chapter 4]_

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><p><strong><em>Author's Note:<em>**

_Hey guys, thanks for all the wonderful reviews; they encourage me a lot. After the last chapter, some readers looked me up on facebook. I didn't expect that, but it made me happy. xD About this fic…I guess I should just stop apologizing for late updates, because I can't help it. Aside from school and work, I also have other time-consuming hobbies – I'll try to update as fast as I can, though. :)_


	5. To Understand This Feeling

**_Author's Note:_**

Yo, everyone. BD Or those of you who still haven't given up on this fic yet.

I'll go straight to the point. Chapter 5 is a bit special, because it gives out hints for the_ real_ plot. That's right, guys -_ "All I Want For Christmas is..."_ isn't just a cute story about Santa and presents. Beneath all the fluff, you'll find something darker.

I know some parts of this chapter might be slightly confusing; especially how our sadist keeps contradicting himself. Everything_ (including Okita's strange behaviour) _will be explained later in time, so please bear with it.

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><p><strong>x-KaguraSougo27:<strong> I'll keep that in mind, then. BD Thanks for reviewing even though you forgot the password of the old one. It must have been troublesome to make a new account just to review my story, but your words mean so much for me and they keep me going. Feel free to continue supporting me like this. I love you too, China~

**BakaAho:** Thanks for reviewing. Don't worry, Kagura hasn't completely forgiven him yet and there's still a lot more to come. Sougo will make it up to her in the end, so it's all good. xD

**rinho:** Thanks for reviewing; I'll keep that in mind. I make Kagura sound girly in this fic because I believe she's a girl deep down, - not to mention that she was hurt emotionally and is confused about her feelings. I hope you don't mind it too much. xD

**Rhaide:** Yes, I'm _the_ Jerkaiser on facebook. BD Thanks for reading and reviewing my fic. As a fellow Okita roleplayer, I'm glad you like the story.

**ElleinadOtaku0w0:** Exactly. That's what I did in the roleplay with my China. I'm so smart— just kidding. xD Thanks for the review.

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><p><strong>All I want for Christmas is…<strong>

**…To Understand This Feeling. **_[Chapter 5]_

"Jush sho ywu nhow-awu, I hwavent fwowiven ywu ywet!" Kagura said with her mouth full and started to devour yet another crispy treat. Luckily for our youngster, this buffet had dishes she couldn't even dream to find in Gintoki's refrigerator.

"That fried chicken is gonna spread its wings and fly away if you don't shut up," came from our sadist, who then calmly drank his _Frozen Strawberry Margarita. _He had stopped eating long ago, and was only waiting for her to finish the food.

"Fried chicken can't fly-aru!" The Yato retorted with a frown after swallowing what she had been chewing on, "As if I would believe you, - I'm not that stupid!"

"Eee~h, you're not?" Okita blinked innocently at her statement.

A vein popped on the sukonbu-lover's forehead as she pointed an accusing finger at him, "N…Now, _that_'s insulting! I actually thought you had learnt your lesson-aru!"

"What lesson." The young male wore a bored expression on his face as he sipped his drink, and that dry voice of his which she hated so much, made its return.

"B-BASTARD! Let's see you go_ 'what lesson'_ after I kick your face!" The vermillion red-haired girl pouted as she munched on a piece of fried potato.

"Mou, you're so mean-aru…"

Wasn't this supposed to make up for the teasing? _He doesn't sound sorry at all!_

"If I was mean, I would have gone through with that kiss," the crimson-eyed boy pointed out bluntly after giving it some thought, "I would become your boyfriend just to leave you later. Maybe you would have liked that better?"

"What, no wa-…!" Kagura begun, but suddenly interrupted herself, her eyes growing big.

Of course the kiss would have made her very happy…but that kind of happiness could never last, and when the truth was revealed, she would get even more hurt than she was right now.

That…was something she hadn't thought about…

At the sight of how the Yato finally got his point, the boy carried on. "I might be an insensitive jerk most of the time, - but I am, with no doubt, a good guy."

"…" The alien looked away. It wasn't like she didn't know…Kagura knew Sougo wasn't bad. He was a sadistic bastard, yes…but whenever it counted the most, he would stand up and fight like the samurai he was.

"—then again…" Okita added, although he appeared to be talking to himself rather than her. As if he was actually…_doubting_ the words he had stated so confidentially just some moments ago…

"…good guys don't hurt people they love…do they…?" Immersed in his own thoughts, the captain shifted his blank gaze to the window. It had started to snow, but that didn't seem to interest him too much. He was staring at something else out there…

_Something…_

_…or maybe…nothing at all?_

Even though Kagura was one of the victims, she was almost certain that he wasn't referring to her. _Then who…?_ Had he hurt someone else in his past…? Someone he loved… A family member?

It couldn't be put into words, but she could feel that Sougo was carrying on a heavy burden.

_What…is…this strange feeling…?_

The sounds from her surroundings slowly faded away as she put her attention on him, and him only. Music… Clinking glasses and cutleries… Voices…

Everything was replaced by the silence.

_No…_

It wasn't completely quiet now that she thought about it… If Kagura really concentrated herself, she would be able to hear the faint noise of a ticking clock—but whose clock was it…? Where did the ticking come from…? Those questions remained unanswered…

Her heart ached as she watched him.

_It's like that time-aru…, _the female told herself.

That time, when she saw him at the park. He was standing there. Just standing there in silence…

…with that blank expression on his face.

But then, Okita muttered something… It was not audible for her ears, but she saw how his lips parted; slowly forming a sentence:

_"…In the end, I'm just…_

_…_

_…a sadist, after all…"_

…and while she sat there, in wonder of the strange pain she was feeling, the ticking continued to resound in her head…

_Tick… Tick… Tick…_

…

…

…

**/Kagura's dream/**

"I love you, Sadist…" the vermillion red-haired teen said softly.

She felt a bit embarrassed as those familiar yet so unfamiliar words escaped her lips in such a soft manner… Words she had never imagined she _could_ or ever_ would_ tell this guy…but here she was, uttering those very same words to that person. They came straight from her pure heart, which was completely filled with this warm, tingling feeling called love…

"I love myself too," the boy deadpanned, just to ruin the mood like he usually did. The alien pouted and lightly hit his arm to show her discontent with his reply.

"D-Don't make fun of me-aru. I'm serious here…"

"Fine, fine," the captain chuckled as he rubbed where she punched him, as if it had hurt, "It's just that…you always expect me to reply on these things even though you already know the answer."

"Th…That might be true-aru…" she looked away, "…but I still want to hear it from you…"

"Well… If it makes you happy, then…," despite having the urge to tease her, the sandy-haired male sent his rival a gentle smile before continuing where they had left off earlier.

"I love you too, China…" Okita replied to her confession, and enjoyed the sight of how his simple words made the girl bury her face in his chest to hide the deep blush which had colored her cheeks.

"…we'll stay together, no matter what…right…?" The Yato whispered softly while reaching out a hand to caress his face.

"…No matter what…" Sougo repeated to confirm that statement as he gazed into her ocean blue orbs…

_"…that's a promise…"_

When he finished speaking, they both knew that words weren't needed between them anymore…and as Kagura slowly closed her eyes, the boy leaned closer to capture her lips with his own…

**/**

…

…

…

The first thing Kagura saw when she opened her sea-colored eyes, was the ceiling inside her cabinet shelf. Which was dull as always. The young lady placed the back of her hand against her forehead as she thought of what she had seen right before she woke up.

"What a strange dream-aru…" The girl whispered to herself… Although it was a nice vision which was the cause of the red tint on the younger's face, her chest felt tight and it was hard to take deep breaths.

A week had passed since they went to that buffet, but she still couldn't forget the things he said that day.

The Yato didn't understand… There was no doubt that Sougo could be a complete bastard…but sometimes, his actions hinted otherwise. Why would someone pull off a joke, and _then_, try to make up for it? Aren't sadists supposed to obtain pleasure from inflicting pain on others? What was he trying to achieve with this…?

It was quite clear by now that she had started to develop romantic feelings for the guy, but…that wasn't it. Something about him didn't feel right…

_["…then again…good guys don't hurt people they love…do they…?"] ["…In the end, I'm just…a sadist, after all…"]_

Knowing Okita, he was a jerk who embraced his title as a sadist. For Kagura, this was the first time he actually showed sign of loathing it…

It is said that a person's eyes are the window of their soul, and during that conversation, Sougo's eyes were blank… emotionless… empty…

He seemed so…

…lost…

"Oi, Kagura."

A knock was heard from outside her cupboard, "Sleep helps a child grow, but it's past noon already, so get out of that _wonderous space _of yours. Even _Aleez_ had to leave_Wonderland _because she ended up growing bigger than her house. We don't want that to happen here, do we?"

"Gin-san, that's not how the story goes…!"

"Don't mind the details, Shinpachi-_kuu~n._"

"…Iya. You changed the whole plot. It's a completely different genre now."

_A chuckle._ "Give her some time, Yorozuya-san. I'm not in a rush."

Kagura blinked as she listened to them. She knew quite well who the first two voices belonged to, but who was the third person? The Yato slid open the sliding-door and got out, landing effortlessly on her feet. When she wandered to the living room, she could finally confirm that there was indeed an unfamiliar face among them.

_Could it be…a client?_

"There you are," Gintoki was sitting on the couch across of the other male, like he usually did when they had guests, "This guy was looking for you."

"Nice to meet you…Kagura-chan, I believe?" the visitor sent her a smile, "My name is Takumi, and I would like to ask for your help."

The young man was probably in his mid-twenties, she noted. Black, spiky hair and green eyes. Just your average kind of male, nothing special.

"Spit it out-aru." The teen sat down beside her silver-haired buddy and started picking her nose so casually that it would have made her future self feel ashamed, "But why me? Why not Gin-chan?" She wiped her snot-covered finger on Sakata's clothes. "I get why you wouldn't ask Megane, though."

"K…Kagura-chan! Wh-What's that supposed to mean?" Shinpachi looked powerlessly at his friend and almost spilled the tea he was about to serve their client. The boy was at the verge of crying because of his role of being useless in his fanfic.

"You see," Takumi started, "There's a party I need to attend, but who knows what kind of people I might meet there? I need protection…then again, I don't want to make it obvious either. Others might target me."

The green-eyed male tok a sip from the tea he had gotten served, "In short, I need a strong girl who can attend the party as my partner. And who isn't more fit to the job than a Yato? I'll pay you well."

"Partner?" The sukonbu-lover tilted her head to the side, "With an old geezer like you-aru?"

"G…Geezer?" Takumi raised an eyebrow, his lips formed a restrained smile, "For your information, I'm only 28."

The Yato stared at ceiling in a bored manner, "Oh. It's like I'm going a date with Gin-chan-aru. That's kinda disgusting, uh-uh."

"Ah. A-Ahaha. Why, you little—" The sugarholic let out a high-pitched laugh and sent her the _Don't-get-too-cocky-you-brat-_look as he clenched his fist in irritation. "But of course," the perm head tried to regain his calm composure, "I suppose you would have preferred Souchirou-kun instead."

"Wh-…" Kagura's cheeks turned a dark shade of pink, "W-WHO THE HELL IS THAT-ARU?" The vermillion-haired female jumped up from her seat and grabbed Gintoki's neck to choke him. In spite of her question, she knew quite well who he was talking about.

"UGH— I-It was a joke…! A j-joooooke…!" Sakata explained as he tried to pry her fingers off him, but his words didn't seem to reach her at all. "K-Ka…gu…raa…"

The Yato kept shaking her friend violently as a darker shade of pink colored her cheeks. "Th-That- That b-bastard! I- I would never—!"

"I g-get iiiiit…! I-I get it, okaaay…? E-En…ough al…rea…dy…!" The suffocating samurai could feel how his silver soul started to leave the body.

"K-KAGURA-CHAAAN!" Shinpachi ran over to them and tugged on the girl's arm in panic, "HE'S GONNA DIIIEEEEE! HE'S REALLY GONNA DIIIEEE!"

"And who might this Souchirou-kun be?" Takumi asked calmly, completely unaffected by the ruckus the Yorozuya was causing.

At the his question, Kagura came to her senses and quickly let go of Sakata. "…No one," she replied quietly, looking down in embarrassment. "P…Putting that aside… When's the party-aru?"

"It starts at 6pm, so we have some hours to prepare ourselves. Now, what do you say? Will you do it?"

There was no way the alien would turn down that kind of offer. She just had to go to the party with him, right? Sounds easy. Besides, the dude paid well – or so he said.

"…Will there be fried chicken?"

"Most likely."

"Leave it to Gura-san, aru~"

…

…

…

"Okita-san, are we just going to sit here and wait for something to happen?" Yamazaki asked and took a bite of his anpan. "It'll pwobabwy tayke houwrs befwoa they mawke theiy move, wight?"

"Guess so," the sadist leaned back on his seat with his sleeping mask covering his eyes. "Maa. I couldn't care less about those terrorists anyway."

The two police officers were sitting in their car, which was parked not so far away from a hotel. There were rumors about the terrorists having a secret meeting there, but this duo's only objective for now was to observe.

"Oh, isn't that Kagura-chan from the Yorozuya?" Sagaru asked in amusement as the girl passed by their vehicle, "And she's with a guy."

Sougo sat up straight almost instantly and took off his blindfold. Sky-colored orbs, shoulder-length vermillion locks, small chest and short in height… It was like his co-worker said, - that was definitely China. His crimson eyes followed the two figures closely as they disappeared into the building.

"I wonder why she's joining the terrorists. What do you think, Okita-san?"

"…"

"O…Okita-san?"

"…Oi. Zaki. Wait here." the 1st Division captain started to take off his uniform jacket and tie. Sougo didn't want to waste time on changing into another outfit, but at least the sadist could make it harder for people to recognize the fact that he was a Shinsengumi member. "I need to check out something."

"E-Eh? You're going in there? B-But you said—"

"I'll cut off your tongue. Shut up."

"H-Hai!"

And with that said, Okita got out of the police car…

_[End of Chapter 5]_


	6. A Jealous Boyfriend

**_Author's Note:_**

Yo, people. I'm back. BD Thank you so much for those 17 wonderful reviews on my latest chapter. I won't be able to reply to you all, but I appreciate it a lot, so keep them coming.

Before we go on, I just want to say that random moments will be added to each chapter. Whether you want to think of these as flashbacks, visions, dreams or a side-story, doesn't matter - They're like puzzle pieces. It might be confusing at first, but as the story progresses, everything will make sense, so don't let them bother you. Also... Note that from now on, there are many hints spread around; you might have to check previous chapters to understand certain things. I'll come back to that later.

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><p><strong>Hachibukai:<strong> Thank you for reviewing..! Sorry for the very late update and not much development plot-wise. We're getting somewhere though, so I hope you'll continue to support this fic.

**cleonaya:** I'm glad you think that they're in-character. Sometimes, it can be hard to write OkiKagu because they're not exactly your typical lovey-dovey couple. Thanks for telling me about your fic - I'll make sure to check it out when I have time.

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><p><strong>All I want for Christmas is…<strong>

_**…A Jealous Boyfriend.**__ [Chapter 6]_

Kagura didn't know much about parties, and decided to ask Otae for help. After digging in her closet for some time, the brunette finally found one of her old tube dresses which she let the Yato borrow. It fit our youngster perfectly in size – the white fabric gave her already fair skin a nice glow. Her shoulder-length hair was adorned with a flower, and her lips had gotten a light shade of pink.

"Let's go," Takumi offered his hand to the alien, who hesitated a bit before taking it. The girl was thankful they had arrived there by car, because her high heels were quite uncomfortable. In spite of this, she tried her best to keep up with the older male's pace as they entered through the main entrance.

"Welcome, Hajiro-san and partner! We hope you'll enjoy your stay," people greeted them as they passed by.

"_Hajiro_-san?" The blue-eyed asked and sent him a suspicious look. That wasn't the name he told the Yorozuya earlier… Had he been lying about it? Not that it was too unusual for people to use nicknames, but she didn't think that was necessary – unless they were trying to hide something from a couple of freelancers, of course, – which was quite unlikely.

"Oh, I never got to introduce myself properly. You must be confused," the client said while leading her to a table. He politely pulled out a chair for Kagura like the gentleman he was, before helping her to push it in as she got seated.

The adult sat down on his own chair as he gave his short but straight-forwarded explanation, "My full name is actually Togae Takumi, but I go by Hajiro in public. That's all there is to it."

"Is that so-aru…" Her suspicion for him hadn't been cleared yet, but she decided to let it slide for now. The Yato shifted her gaze around in the big room, in wonder of what kind of gathering this could be. Everything seemed so fancy and the guests were probably of higher social class than her.

"Say, Kagura-chan," Togae interrupted her chain of thought after he had ordered some food, his words indirectly forcing her to face him, "I've been wondering about something."

"H…Hai?" Our heroin couldn't help but feel slightly nervous at the serious tone in his voice. Was he about to reveal something about this event? Or maybe the _real _purpose of why they were here? After all, this request of his oozed with suspicion.

He took a deep breath, then looked into her eyes,

"…what kind of person is Souchirou-kun?"

"Gah—!" The terrorist's sudden question snuck up on her and almost threw the sukonbu-lover off balance while she was sitting there at her seat, – the seriousness from earlier had completely vanished into thin air. _Of all the things he could ask, why that? Why is it always about the sadist-aru!_

"Your facial expression changes drastically every time he's mentioned, so I just had this _Maybe-he's-someone-special~ _thought crossing my mind," the older male told her in a cheerful manner, apparently unaware of what his words had done to his partner. "Was it wrong of me to ask?"

If it wasn't for how genuinely curious he sounded, Kagura would have strangled him like she had done with Gintoki. After some thinking, she guessed it wouldn't hurt to tell him a bit about Sougo…Hajiro couldn't _possibly_ know the guy anyway, and she needed to get this off her chest.

"…S…Souchirou is a real jerk-aru…" she looked away, "Even though he's _sliiightly _not-so-ugly-looking, his personality stinks."

At how the young lady started off, Takumi's lips formed a small smile, "Oh?"

"Arrogant, sadistic, blunt, rude, lazy, aloof, selfish, sarcastic, irresponsible, foul-mouthed…" she rattled off, "If I made a list of everything I hated about him, it would even be longer than all the chapters of this fanfic combined – and that's hella long-aru…!"

"Your vocabulary must be great, then. How impressive~ But maybe you shouldn't reveal more about the story itself; the readers might give up on it if they know how much longer they have to wait until the last chapters."

"Uh-uh! 'cause the author keeps saying _'I'll try to update faster', _but it never happens-aru. We've been on stand-by since August," she counted her fingers, "– that's almost 4 months already! Also, despite this fic's title, it has been going on since December 2011 – I mean, I love Christmas too-aru, but there's limit to how far you should make it last!"

"Now, now~ Let's not be too hard on our author; we should be happy this story is still ongoing. Here, have some fried chicken and cheer up," Takumi offered her the plate of food which had arrived as they were talking. He didn't have to say _that_ a second time, because the vermillion red-haired girl started to dig at once.

"By the way," the older guy spoke up after a short break, "Would you mind telling me about the Shinsengumi?"

_…The Shinsengumi? Why would he ask about them all of the sudden?_ The blue-eyed alien wondered as she swallowed her food, "…Then tell me first. What is your motive-aru? Why are we here? This isn't some kind of birthday party, is it." As stubborn as the teenager was, she refused to answer more questions from him until he gave her a clear answer.

"My motive? I just wanted to attend this party," Hajiro took a sip from his drink to quench his thirst before he continued, "…but I suppose it's not something as common as a birthday. If I had to make it simple, then maybe '_terrorist gathering'_, would work. We're more noble than those who bomb buildings, though – strategy is our thing."

"So that's why you want to know about the Shinsengumi-aru… I should have known." This guy was probably using her to get information about the police so they could carry out their plans. If this caused trouble for the sadist, then… Wait. Where did that come from? She would have felt bad if that happened, though.

"No, you've got it all wrong; being a terrorist has nothing to do with this. I was just wondering how they were doing," the green-eyed man looked up at the ceiling in deep thought, "Like, what kind of people they were – you know, such trivial matters."

"They're just stupid tax robbers-aru; no need to waste your time on them," the Yato gave the impression of being uninterested in the topic, but was actually relieved because Togae wasn't as cruel as she had thought.

"…but I guess…they aren't too bad…" she added after a moment or two. Kagura felt she should at least give them _some _credit for keeping the streets of Edo safe – or trying to.

"I see…" The other smiled to himself. Somehow, he appeared to be…happy.

"I still don't understand, though," the young lady stated after she realized an important fact, "If this is an event for terrorists and you're a terrorist – why would you need protection from me? It doesn't make sense."

"You're a smart young lady, I see. Well, about that…" the client lowered his voice a bit, as if he didn't want anyone else to hear him, "In reality, I just wanted to meet you face-to-face, Kagura-chan. I've been looking for you for the past year…"

"Looking…for me…?" She blinked twice in confusion. Why would anyone want to see her?

"Yes, since the first time I saw you. In episode— what was it again?" The green-eyed guy tilted his head to the side, "Hm. My mind is clouded right now, but your eyes were cute there."

_Cute eyes?_ She would have preferred it if he gave out more hints, but the adult didn't seem to know much about it either. "So…you have appeared in the anime?"

"I have. A few times, actually – in some of the newer episodes. I doubt anyone remembers me, though."

"…"

This was getting _really _strange. Until now, she thought that Hajiro was a made-up character by this story's writer, _CrimsonINsight_, who was too desperate about fitting him into the story. As far as she knew, there was no character in this fandom with the name "Togae Takumi". Sorachi Hideaki wouldn't have hidden such a vital piece of information from the main heroin, would he?

But if he actually did appear in the anime – Was he some random character in the background, or…? What did he mean with "newer episodes" anyway. The Kintama arc? The reruns? Or maybe earlier arcs? She was tempted to ask, but felt an abnormal headache coming up as she tried to remember where in the anime he had made his debut.

"Kagu-chan, you look pale…" Hajiro placed a hand on her shoulder as he tried to check on the girl, "…are you okay?"

"I f-feel kind of sick… I…I th-think I need to—" Before she could finish her sentence, the youngster covered a hand over her mouth and got up to hurry out of the dining hall.

…

…

…

"_You don't look too good-aru."_

"…_oh really, now…"_

_Kagura had joked, in hope that it would cheer him up a little…but when she realized that it didn't work, the young lady grew quiet. A few more steps through the dew-covered grass, and she was standing right next to him. The Yato glanced curiously at Okita before fixing her eyes on what was in front of them._

"_It's interesting to see another side of the sadist…" she said in the end and bent down to place a white rose beside his bouquet of flowers on the grave."…you must have loved her dearly…"_

_Unlike usual, the alien's voice was like the sound of bells; tenderly invading the silence which had surrounded him._

"…"

_He didn't reply her. The Shinsengumi captain felt empty on the inside as he proceeded to stare blankly at the tombstone…but the Yato understood him anyway._

_Sometimes, staying quiet could be enough as an answer… After all, a thing such as feelings couldn't always be explained with words… –_

_It belonged to a complete different dimension…_

_They stood there for a good five-ten minutes or so before the young lady decided to break the stillness with a question…a question which carved into the other's memory even long after that meeting…_

"_To love someone short-lived, yet gentle…or someone long-lived, but cruel…" the girl paused shortly as she brushed some locks of hair behind her ear and shifted her soft gaze to the cloudy sky,_

"…_I wonder…what's more painful…?"_

…

…

…

The crimson-eyed boy walked around the building to look for a way to enter. Without an invitation, the main entrance would be out of the question. The backdoor appeared to be protected with a password and he couldn't risk letting the alarm go off, so that didn't work either. As his gaze wandered around, he saw an open window.

_Tsk… The things I do because of that gorilla…, _Sougo's eyebrow twitched in irritation as he started to climb up some cardboard boxes. After getting on a lower roof, he proceeded up to the open window on the second floor.

Okita climbed through the opening and looked around. He was now standing in a hallway with a red carpet-covered floor. Just when he was wondering how the heck he could find his rival, someone bumped into him.

Speak of the flat-chested alien.

"I-I'm sorry-aru!" Kagura apologized to the stranger(?) she just ran into, but when she looked up and their gazes met, her sky-blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Sa…dist…" By now, the Yato had completely forgotten about the sick feeling from earlier.

Sougo's clothes were too informal to be worn on these kinds of parties. They were just a part of his uniform, after all…but for her, he looked much more dazzling than anybody else.

"So you're the one _she _talked about…" Takumi spoke up as he walked over to them, "Souchirou-kun, am I right? You're indeed a handsome fella."

"…Arara. China, did you fangirl over me again?"

"Why the hell would I do that-aru – I'm not even a fan!"

"No, just a broken air-conditioner; annoying, useless, and clogged with debris."

"SHUT UP!" Kagura retorted with a frown. Who cared about his good looks? Right now, she just wanted to break his face. "What are you doing here anyway-aru – Are you stalking me? Have you fallen for my beauty?"

"As if." Okita gave his quick answer without a second thought, "I would like you to leave this place; Police work. It's bothersome if you get involved."

"…Since when did you start taking work seriously-aru?"

The green-eyed adult kept watching them argue, with a gentle smile plastered on his face. "Why is a police officer attending a terrorist gathering, if I may ask?"

"I'm just doing my job," the sadist replied shortly, but it was clear that he wasn't fond of this person at all, – whoever that was.

"Aren't you just worried about her?

"I'm not."

"It won't hurt to be honest once in awhile."

"It won't hurt to stop talking either."

"You sound like a jealous boyfriend~"

"I'll arrest you, oi."

Kagura could feel the tension between the two of them. _What is that guy doing?_ Couldn't he see that his words annoyed Sougo?

"Takumi-san, stop that-aru. There's nothing between the sadist and I."

"Really? Nothing at all?" The adult asked her before looking back at the boy, "You must be working hard to keep your promise, _Sou-chan._"

In just an instance, Okita's eyes widened as he unsheathed his weapon and slashed it at the older male. If Togae hadn't been fast enough to block the attack with his own sword, the outcome might not have been pretty.

This came as a surprise for the alien, because she had never seen her crush like this before… In just a jiffy, the sadist had lost his cool. That wasn't just a cut to wound someone—it was a slash filled with killing intent.

"…Who are you?" The sandy-haired youngster glared at Takumi as he asked his question, the metal of their swords clinked at the pressure.

Even though the black-haired adult must have been quite experienced in sword-fighting to be able to save himself, he still had a hard time dealing with the Shinsengumi captain. "I'm Togae Takumi; Kagu-chan's partner. Nice to meet you."

There was a hint of reaction on the sadist's face at the word _partner_, but he kept his emotionless expression. "That's not what I meant. _Who _are you?"

"No one in particular," the older male grinned sheepishly at him, "Your name is Souchirou, so _Sou-chan _would be the most logical nickname, right? Why do you seem surprised? Or did my comment about you being her boyfriend come off as insulting? Forgive me, I was just joking."

"…" Without saying a word, Sougo sheathed his sword to place it back where it belonged. It would have been troublesome if they gained people's attention – His task as a Shinsengumi member was only to observe this terrorist faction, so there was no need for him to make things more complicated for himself. "I'm not done with you yet."

"How scary~" The black-haired man chuckled as he did the same with his own weapon.

"Sadist, what's…wrong…?" Kagura tried to hide her worry for the boy, but it was shown too clearly through the tone in her voice. "You're not acting like yourself…"

"I should insult you more, then."

"That's not what I meant, you bastard!"

Instead of taking the argument further by replying her like usual, the crimson-eyed boy muttered a "go home" under his breath before he turned around and walked down the hall.

"What's with that jerk-aru," the China-girl's lips formed a pout. As much as his jerky attitude annoyed her to no end, she hated it even more when he treated her this coldly. Because then, she would end up thinking about him _too_ often – which was, obviously, quite unpleasant for her.

"Don't be harsh on him," Togae placed a hand on her head and gave her a light pat. "That guy is trying his best…"

"The sadist is…?" Kagura blinked as she looked up at her client, not understanding what the other was talking about, "What…do you mean-aru? I don't understand…"

"There are many things you want to know about him, right? With time, you'll know…but as of now, I can't tell you anything before you've figured out who _I_ really am," while he was still talking, the terrorist slipped a small piece of paper into her hand, "You did well today, Kagura-chan, – let's meet again soon. There's something I need to ask of you…" After uttering those words, Hajiro headed back to the dining hall.

As the Yato followed behind the police officer out of the building, she realized how little she knew – not only about Takumi, but also about Sougo. What emotions lied beneath that blank expression of his…? What secrets were hidden behind his actions…? She didn't understand him at all…and the more she thought about it, the more complicated things became.

Her client seemed to know _something_, though. Since that sadist would never reveal anything about himself, the older guy was her only clue – but first, she had to take care of the task which had been given to her.

_Finding out who Takumi is, huh…? I can do that-aru…uh-uh._

…

…

…

_The sky was filled with warm colors from the sun which was about to set. Rays of light had given their surroundings a reddish hue, and the smell of autumn lingered in the air. It might only have been his imagination, but he could also hear a faint noise of a clock ticking in the background…_

"_Mister…" a voice called out to him so tenderly. He had to squint a bit due to the sunlight before he could see her face clearly. She was very beautiful, that girl…_

"_Mister… Did you know?" the child whispered softly, "Everything happens for a reason…"_

_At this point of time, the older male couldn't understand what she meant with those words. He didn't even know who she was… Her presence did something to him however, and it wasn't just emotionally, – His whole being felt strange. There was this heavy feeling on his chest… An unknown sadness…_

"_Please stay strong…even if the life that awaits you isn't what you wanted…" Tears like tiny drops of crystal started to form in the corners of her eyes…yet, she kept on smiling… A smile filled with…compassion…_

_Was she crying…for his sake…?_

"_Even if it's a life…_

…

…_in darkness…"_

_[End of Chapter 6]_


	7. To Have Internet

**_Author's Note:_**

This...is a miracle. I can't believe I updated in less than a month. XD As always, I want to thank those who read and reviewed my story. It means so much and keeps me going. Forgive me for grammar mistakes and out-of-characterness; it's very late right now, but I can't help it because I can only write during the night.

While reading this fic, don't forget that the paragraphs in_ itali_c are side-stories, flashbacks, or dreams, and shouldn't be confused with the main plot. Well, at least not yet. From the next chapter and onwards, many things will be explained, so you won't have to feel lost anymore. I changed the writing style at the end of this chapter to make it easier for the reader to follow, without revealing too much - There are 3 people present: the "I"-person, a girl and a boy.

Note that this chapter has references to the **Gintama wikia** page. If you don't know about it, I suggest you look it up now. Whether good or bad ones, I hope you all will continue to leave feedback so I can know how to improve my story. That's all. :)

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><p><strong>All I want for Christmas is…<strong>

…_**To Have Internet.**__ [Chapter 7]_

"_Sadist, I'm bored!"_

"…_ngh…" The Shinsengumi captain opened his eyes and blinked a few times as his mind tried to register his surroundings. Okita was sitting behind the steering wheel of a police car while his Yato girlfriend stood outside._

"_All you ever do during patrols is to take naps anyway," the girl complained as she kept knocking on the window glass, "Take me somewhere, yes? Anywhere is fine-aru!"_

"_Uh. Sure." The boy decided to open the door before she ended up breaking the glass, or worse—the whole car. Without another word, Kagura hurried inside and sat on the seat beside him._

"_Make sure you drive super-fast, okay?"_

"_The 'rider' shouldn't complain about a guy's speed. As long as they reach their 'destination', it's all good." What he said could be referred to the act of making love, but that was his point in the first place._

_A blush appeared across the sukonbu-lover's face. After staying with Gintoki for some time, she had actually caught on quite many of these references. "W-What rider-aru, you perverted sadist!"_

"_You're riding my car – what else? You dirty-minded girl," Okita deadpanned, as if he was the innocent one, "Nonetheless, you would have enjoyed any kind of 'ride' with me."_

"_Admit it, you said something perverted-aru! And like hell I would enjoy that! Uh-uh!" She stuck her tongue out at him, "Since you're acting stubborn, let me drive-aru."_

"_Not only do you want to die, but you want to drag me with you to the afterlife?"_

"_I don't want to die yet, I just wanna drive!"_

"_That statement of yours is translated to __**'Let's commit a double suicide-aru! GYAHAHAHA~!'**__."_

"_What double suicide – WANNA DIE NOW, YES?" She shouted and started to lightly pull his hair, "You're meean! Just let me-aru!"_

"_Says the one who's pulling my hair and riding without paying. Ah. My heart. It's all twisted now." He said in a monotone voice, completely ignoring the fact that his heart was black and twisted from the beginning._

"_Oooi, I'm not joking-aru! I wanna drive!"_

"_Tch, whatever. Go ahead. My valuable life is in your hands; take good care of it - the fangirls will be sad if the one and only S-King disappears from the show."_

"_Hmph. Those fangirls are just annoying, uh-uh!" Kagura climbed on the driver's seat to sit in front of him. They did that for safety's sake, so the police officer could take over the steering wheel in case she lost control of the car._

"_It was a joke. Even if you end up being 'my angel of death', you would still be the only angel for me~…" Despite those romantic words, Okita was technically saying __**'Although you suck at driving and might kill us both, I still love you. Stuupid.'**_

"_Sh-Shut up. Wh-What are you saying-aru. As long as you're here with me, we'll be fine…" Flushed, the blue-eyed alien kissed his cheek and started the car._

"_Hai, hai. It's not like I'll let you kill me anyway."_

_Excited and happy about spending their time together, they drove off at full speed…_

…

…

…

"Wh…Why a net café-aru?" Kagura asked, and looked at her surroundings. After they left the terrorist meeting, she decided to follow him around, but who would have thought the Sadist was into the interwebs?

Okita entered a cubicle among many, which, in addition to a computer with internet connection, provided bottomless soft drinks, slippers, blankets, and toiletries to make it more relaxing for the users. She had seen many of these net cafés around in town, but never had the chance or money to go there—and definitely not with a guy.

Without answering her question, Sougo sat down in front of the screen. The sukonbu-lover did the same and frowned as she watched her rival turn on the pc.

"Oi. Didn't I tell you to head home?"

"Are you kidding-aru? You went in there just to kick me out?"

"Sure did. Now, go home."

"Hmph. Fine-aru. I'll go home…after I finish the food I left behind," Kagura got up and was about to head back to Takumi when the officer grabbed her arm.

"He's a terrorist," the sadist said sternly as he tightened his grip on her. "Never mind. Sit."

"Do you want me to stay or leave; decide already!" The Yato freed herself from Okita and threw him a sullen look. "So what if he is a terrorist? I can go with whoever I want-aru."

This bastard annoyed her to no end. At least he could have treated her to fried chicken or something since he had ruined the party for her and all. On the other hand, that would have been too out-of-character of him.

"That guy…knows too much…" the sandy-haired male turned to the computer, "…he might be dangerous."

"Knows too much? About what-aru?"

"Your stupidity."

"Hey, that wasn't funny! Mou…" The sukonbu-lover sighed softly, but decided to get seated on a chair beside his. "What's wrong in the first place. It's rare to see the sadist upset about something-aru."

When the Shinsengumi captain didn't reply and kept typing on the keyboard, Kagura thought back to his conversation with Takumi from earlier. It was true that the crimson-eyed boy seemed irritated by her client since the beginning, but it wasn't until that last sentence that he actually snapped. What was it again…? _Something… Something about… uh… a promise…I think…_

_["You must be working hard to keep your promise, Sou-chan."]_

Yes, that was probably it. But what promise? And how did Togae know? Either way, at least she understood why the Sadist reacted as he did. If a stranger suddenly revealed something like that about her, she would have freaked out too.

_["Don't be harsh on him… That guy is trying his best…"]_

The client also mentioned something along those lines. What was Okita trying his best with, though? Hajiro never explained that.

_What's with these guys? How am I supposed to get it if they always talk in codes-aru! _The confusion was about to drive her crazy.

Another issue was that she couldn't help but feel slightly nervous. The Yato did fine earlier, because there were people around – it wasn't until they entered this room that she became consciously aware of the other's presence. Everything he said, his every movement… She noticed them all. Even just a glance from him would make her look away quickly in embarrassment.

"N-Ne, what are you doing-aru?" She peeked over his shoulder to see the display.

"Trying to find out who that guy is." The sandy-haired male replied while he clicked around on the **Gintama wikia** site. "If he's a made-up character however, this will only be a waste of time."

"Oh." _Of course. _Why else would the Sadist lock himself inside this small cubicle? To watch anime? Read manga? Write fan-fiction? Role-play? Hah, no way. "Don't worry-aru. Takumi-san is an official Gintama character."

"…he is?" Okita's gaze left the computer screen as he turned to glance at her.

"That's what he told me-aru! Unbelievable, yes?"

"He might be lying. Who is that guy, really…" The youngster mumbled and rested a fingers on his chin, like he usually did whenever he thought hard about something.

On spur of moment, an idea crossed Kagura's mind. No, correction: A _great _idea crossed her mind.

"Ahh, I know-aru! You want to find out who he is, right? Then why don't we work together? I've got all the clues. Without me, you won't be able to get far; without you, I'll starve to death. So, what do you say?" With an offer like this, she was confident that Sougo had no choice but to accept. _Yahooo~ Free food-aru!_

"…" A long pause.

_Just agree, you jerk! Stop being stubborn-aru; You know you need me~ _Her inner self cheered him on.

"…fine. But after this, you better leave me alone." Okita stated coldly as he went back to stare at the monitor like he had done just minutes ago.

"T-Teme…! It's not like I want to stay close to you either-aru!"

Aside from the awkward silence which followed that retort, there was also this heavy feeling on her chest. In his eyes, she was probably just a stupid _flat-chested mountain gorilla_ as he always called her…but her crush for him was starting to become difficult to hide.

It hadn't been too long ago that she only _admired _the Sadist. Since when did her feelings for him grow this strong…?

Most people don't fall in love that fast, right? Except for those annoying flirts who were desperate about getting a boyfriend, but our heroin was definitely not one of them. This was very strange… In spite of not understanding him at all, it was as if she longed for his attention. She wanted him to notice her…

"Oi. China. Are you listening?"

"E-Eh. Of course-aru!" The blue-eyed alien responded automatically. "So…what is it?"

"…" Okita's facial expression turned to a bored one, "I was asking… What did Takumi tell you? You better have some useful information, oi."

"Oh," Kagura took a deep breath and tried to collect her memories from that conversation. The older male listened carefully as she told him what she knew about Hajiro; he appeared in one of the newer episodes, sounded quite interested in the Shinsengumi, and had been looking for her.

"He seems to know a lot about us while we know nothing about him," the vermilion red-haired lady added, as a conclusion of her talk. "It troubles me-aru…"

"That's not completely true," Sougo disagreed, which made a very puzzled China look up at him with interest. "Takumi kept referring to me as _"Souchirou"_, which means that he didn't actually know my real name. Unless he's doing it intentionally like Danna, yes, but I doubt that's the case. Also… It took him quite awhile to find you, right?"

"Yes. He had been looking for me for the past year-aru."

"Takumi probably _saw _you in one episode, but had no idea _who _you were. If he had known that you were from the Yorozuya, it would have been an easy chase for him. From these hints, we can assume that he doesn't know us personally."

"Then… Is Takumi a Gintama character at all?"

"Since we have no other clue, I simply have to trust him. Although Takumi really is a suspicious fella, he appears to be well-intentioned after what you've reported," the police officer concluded, "To reduce the possibilities, I suppose it would be safe to only include episodes from Gintama' _(note the apostrophe)_, the Kintama arc, and the reruns. If there are no other hints, we'll start to go through the character profiles soon."

The young lady was amazed. After such a short time and with merely a few hints, Sougo had thoroughly analyzed her client's words. She had always known that this guy could be quite the strategist if he wanted to, but never imagined him to be this observant.

"Ohh! So you aren't completely useless, after all-aru!"

"Tch. Give me some credit, will ya."

"But…what do you mean 'profiles'?"

"**She acts very 'unlady like' in terms of the ways she speaks and in certain things she does such as vomiting or picking her nose,**" The older male read out loud from her _Personality _section at the wiki page as an example.

"I'm a lady-aru! – WHO WROTE THAT?" Kagura pushed the boy aside to read it herself; but to her disappointment, the text was written exactly as what she had heard.

"**Age: 14**? That's _so _out-of-date-aru! I'm 15 years, you bastards! Uh-uh!" To get back at him, the Yato clicked on Okita's profile and scrolled down on it.

"There's no use, China. You won't be able to find anything you don't already know about me," he said and pointed at a paragraph for her to put her eyes on. "Look."

"**Acknowledged as the bishounen **_**(aka 'beautiful youth')**_** of the series, Gintoki took a mug-shot of him attempting to slice up Shinpachi and sent it off as Shinpachi's photo in the Pen-pal Chapter, explaining that he 'looked better' than Shinpachi.** **Belying the innocent-looking good looks however, is an insanely sadistic person who**— THE HELL? What good looks-aru? This must have been written by some fangirls! Or who knows; as much free-time as you have, maybe you wrote it!"

"That's ridiculous. If I was the writer, there would have been a few uppercased 'FLAT-CHESTED's somewhere on your profile, don't you think?"

"Oh, shut up! I know I'm irresistible-aru, but stop being a creeper."

As Kagura came down to his _Relationships_ section, she looked for her name to see what was written there.

_**Kagura:**__ He calls her 'China'. After the Cherry Blossom party, they would fight whenever they had a chance. They always try to insult each other, even when they aren't actually arguing. He saves her in two different occasions: When Kagura had some trouble in the Yagyuu arc, Okita saved her as he said only he was allowed to beat her, - and when Kagura was shot on the leg while being chased by a group of terrorists in the Rokkaku arc, he helped her escaped as he covered up for her. The two of them can be called rivals, but are friends deep down inside. Kagura is the only female in the entire series whom he had apologized to. The first one is his sister, Okita Mitsuba._

The blue-eyed alien felt her cheeks heat up. This was _definitely _written by an _OkiKagu_ fan. Friends? The Sadist and her? No, she wouldn't have called it friendship…it was something else. Something she couldn't put into words… In spite of this, it was true that Kagura was the only female he had saved and apologized to. Why hadn't she noticed until now? She…was the only one. The vermilion red-haired girl didn't know why she was overjoyed by it…

"Anyway, let's stop fooling around," the crimson-eyed boy went back to the long list of characters. "What bothers me, is his name. There's no one called_ 'Togae Takumi'_ here."

"I figured that much-aru. What do you think we should do?" The sukonbu-lover tilted her head to one side as he stared at the handsome captain. Was this as far as they could get?

"Hm…" Okita mumbled before writing down the client's name on a piece of paper: _TOGAE TAKUMI_.

"He probably mixed the letters or something. They do that in crime series."

"I thought you were into porn-aru."

"Only if you're the star," he deadpanned at her statement, which earned him a smack on the head by the embarrassed Yato. "Now, let's see…"

Sougo lightly hit the end of his pen against his cheek as he was thinking.

"How about this?" The crimson-eyed boy asked before writing down:

* * *

><p><em>{TOGAE TAKUMI}<em>

_- {OTAEG TKAMUI}_

_- - {__**OTAE KAMUI **__GT_}

* * *

><p>"Anego and baka-aniki? No way! That's not possible-aru! And what does the <em>GT <em>stand for?"

"Don't be stupid, China. This is just a try-and-fail process. You randomly mix the letters and try to make new words from them. It's only a coincidence that Takumi's name formed theirs."

"Got it-aru! Let me try!" Kagura took the pen from him and started to write down her client's name.

* * *

><p><em>{TOGAE TAKUMI}<em>

_- {TOGIE MATAKU}_

_- - {__**MATAKO **__IETUG}_

* * *

><p>"Gyahahaha! It's dirty-Matako-aru!"<p>

"It's not." _Pen-user change: Sougo._ "What the heck is _IETUG _anyway."

* * *

><p><em>{TOGAE TAKUMI}<em>

_- {GETOA TKAMUI}_

_- - {__**GET TO A KAMUI**__}_

* * *

><p>"What's with you and Baka-Aniki? Do you want to arrest him that badly? You guys haven't even met-aru!" <em>Pen-user change: Kagura.<em>

* * *

><p><em>{TOGAE TAKUMI}<em>

_- {OTAEG KITAUM}_

_- - {__**OKITA**__ METUGA}_

* * *

><p>"YOUR SISTER WAS RESURRECTED AS TAKUMI-ARU!"<p>

"Want me to punch you, teme. It's _Mitsuba; _can you even spell?"

"Well, how was I supposed to know-aru?"

The two of them continued like that for awhile, but without luck. Even though this was a lot of fun, there was no point in it if they didn't get anywhere.

"Ne, Sadist. None of us knew about Takumi-san before this fanfic. This means that he might be a completely new character, right? Then why are we trying to mix those letters into familiar names? What if he's a Gintama character with an unknown one?"

"Because we're trying to find a connection between him and other characters. If a last name happens to match, we might be able to work from there."

"So what you're saying is that… So far, Takumi-san is most likely related to you, Anego, dirty-Matako or baka-aniki?"

"Sort of. I doubt it, though…" The officer's crimson eyes didn't leave the writings they had made on the white sheet. "Something isn't right… Are you_ sure_ his name is written like that? One mistaken letter is enough to turn this search impossible."

"Of course I'm sure-aru! He even wrote down his name and number for me," Kagura showed him the note Takumi had given her earlier.

"Let me see that." Okita took the piece of paper from her and stared at it for awhile Without saying anything. From time to time, the young male would shift his gaze between the screen and her note; as if he was checking for a match from the character list.

_What is he doing-aru? _The lady wondered, but decided to stay quiet too so he could concentrate. She didn't want to disturb him.

"…Oi. China." Sougo spoke up after 5 minutes or so, "I've figured it out."

"…eh?"

"I know who Takumi is…"

…

…

…

_"I'll save you…"_

_I can never forget that expression she made…_

_Of all the things she had seen through time… This must have been the most heart-breaking moment for the young girl. She was hugging the older male from behind; calling his name over and over again, but to no avail… He could neither see, nor hear, nor feel her… They were so close, yet so far away… Her presence…was unknown to him._

_"Everything will be okay…"_

_He thought he was alone, crying all by himself with that blood-stained sword of his. He thought he had been abandoned by everyone…by the world, where people were currently enjoying their Christmas, completely unaware of this tragedy. What he did not know however, was that he was far from alone – She was present at this moment to share his unbearable pain…and so was I._

"_I-I'll save you…" the girl whispered reassuringly in the boy's ear as she embraced him tighter, her tears kept streaming down her face. "Don't worry… In the end… E-Everything…will be…ok…ay…"_

_I wanted to tell her that no matter how much she cried and tried to comfort him, those words would never reach…_

…_but I said nothing._

_Humans were such powerless beings, I suddenly realized. The two of them were in so much pain…yet, there was nothing I could do…_

_Nothing…at all…_

_[End of Chapter 7]_


	8. Your Forgiveness

**_Author's Note:_**

Yo. Thanks for following this fic so far; please continue to support me as always~ There's not much to say about this chapter, except for the fact that some of the previous side-stories will be mentioned.

Before anyone starts complaining about how I portray the time-skip versions, let me explain. According to the Time-skip arc, Sougo becomes more charming, while Kagura acts feminine - I've based my portrayal on this. Although I actually impersonate Bakaiser as a cruel _(yet appealing)_ guy, he appears to be an ordinary prince Charming in the few moments I've included. To limit the chapter counts, his cruelty _(especially towards his men)_ and sadistic teasing towards Time-skip!Kagura won't be shown _(or at least not too clearly)_ in this fic.

Then again, people change as they get older. You can't expect them to act the same as before at the age of 20+.

* * *

><p><strong>kawaiinekochan16: <strong>Thank you; that's definitely something I like to hear. XD When people say that they like how I portray Sougo, I mean; because he's my favorite Gintama character. Belated Merry Christmas to you too~

**prae-333: **Thank you~ It makes me very happy that you understand that much - because that's_ exactly_ the kind of piece I'm trying to write. Things might be unclear right now, but I hope you'll enjoy it even more when you get the whole picture.

**Anne: **Thank you, I'm glad to hear that. If I may ask, what exactly did you mean with your question? If you're talking about the wiki page which mentioned moments where Okita saved her, then they were talking about the Yagyuu arc (76-81) and Rokkaku arc (186-187).

* * *

><p><strong>All I want for Christmas is…<strong>

**_…Your forgiveness._**_ [Chapter 8]_

_"Sougo… Is there something wrong?" The vermilion-red haired woman asked with worry in her eyes. Calling him by his first name wasn't an infrequently happening anymore, though the epithets of 'Sadist' and 'China' certainly did sneak into their conversations ever so often._

_"Nothing's wrong, my dearest. Nothing at all," the Kaiser sent her a reassuring grin as he got up from his seat, "The air is warm tonight…how about we take a walk in my garden?"_

___"If that's your wish…" __With all _anxiety gone, _Kagura smiled softly and took the hand he had offered. _  
><em>_

___"I ordered the gardener to plant some Rose bushes, Poppies, Camellias and Krajeaws, in hope you would like them." _______Okita led her out of the castle in a manner of a gentleman, which was quite unlike him. He had matured a lot through the years, but like people say: Old habits die hard.____

_"Is that so?" The Yato felt happy, because flowers were something she adored. Furthermore, he had built that place for her, and her only… Quite romantic, yes? Who would have thought that jerk could be so thoughtful._

_As they walked through the backyard, she let go of him and went to smell the blossoms. She then looked back at Sougo with a contented expression on her face,_

_"Thank you, I love it…"_

_"I'm glad…"_

_Okita felt his heart beat faster as he walked with her deeper into the garden where no one could see, hear, or disturb them in any way. He tried to keep his calm because he didn't want to ruin anything by pulling off a stupid joke like he usually did. No, he couldn't risk to mess up. Not today_…__

_"…About what I wanted to discuss with you…"_

_"Yes~?" The China-girl turned around to face him, slightly curious why her sadistic lover sounded so serious._

_"I've been thinking for the past few weeks…" He almost whispered as he stood there beside her, looking up at the sky. The stars shone brightly while thousands of fireflies floated quietly around and lightened up the beautiful place._

_"As you're already aware of; we've known each other for a long time… 7 years, to be exact. 7 wonderful years filled with happiness and joy…but also moments of sadness, as well as pointless fights and heart-breaking farewells. Despite everything, our strong feelings got us through the hardships…" _

_"You're right…" The Yato replied to his statement. Indeed, their love for each other had never changed…_

_Sougo nodded lightly and thought a bit before continuing, "I might be successful in life, being Kaiser and feared by everyone. Holding this kind of power in the grasp of my hand makes it too easy to get lost; forgetting how to be 'human'… If you weren't here by my side and always reminded me about the kindness hidden deep inside people's hearts—no, inside **my **heart—who knows what kind of merciless leader I would have become…?"_

__"That's because it's my job to keep an eye on you," _the lady giggled delicately. "Then again_… _Even with that said, you're still the cruelest ruler around~"_

_"I suppose…~" Okita stood in front of her, his cheeks faintly tinted pink. He knew it was kind of out-of-character of him to say these things, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime moment – he didn't want to mess up. _

_"You taught me how to love and helped me understand how great it was to be loved; emotions which normally would have been incomprehensible for a cruel, cunning sadist like me…" The Kaiser locked his crimson eyes with her ocean-blue ones, "China… I…love you… I love you more than words can express… That's why…I needed another way to prove how true these deep feelings of mine were…" _

_Sougo paused shortly, breathing quietly. "After giving it a lot of thought, I finally made a decision…and I'll assure you, my beloved, that never have I ever been this sure about anything else…" The sadist gently brushed his cape behind him to get it out of the way as he elegantly got down on one knee and took her hand, feeling his heart beat wildly in his chest._

_"My dearest Kagura… I now ask you… - not as the Kaiser, a Captain, or your rival…but as Okita Sougo, that one guy who loves you more than life itself…" As the older male spoke these words, he took out a small, black box from his pocket and opened it to show her the diamond ring. Our S-King kept gazing softly at her as he wore a charming smile on his lips…_

_"…will you…marry me?_

_Silence filled the air as Kagura's mind went blank, her eyes widened in surprise. She almost forgot to breathe… _

_It took a few moments for her to react. But then, she slowly took his hand to make him stand up again. With a light nod and her cheeks flustered, her lips parted:_

_"Yes…" _

_The crimson-eyed man knew all along what her answer would be. Even so, a feeling of relief rushed through his body and the nervousness was replaced by pure happiness. He took her hand and slipped the diamond ring on her ring finger together with the promise-ring he had given her many years ago, before placing a kiss on her lips to end the proposal._

_Our heroin wrapped her arms around the sadist's neck as she placed her forehead against his. Words could not describe how happy she was… "I would never have said no… After all, you're the only one for me… I love you~"_

_"And you, for me…" Okita picked her off the ground and spun her one round with his cape fluttering gracefully after him while Kagura giggled as he did so._

_"I love you too…" _

_With that, the two rivals were now engaged. News spread fast, but it didn't seem to surprise their friends much. Although they had never made their relationship public, it was obvious with the years that Okita and Kagura had something going on. A lot of preparations needed to be made; it was the Kaiser's marriage, after all—and with a Yato, at that…_

_It was hard, even for them to believe what had happened. 'Fiancé'… There was a nice ring to it. This meant forever…right…? They would stay together, and nothing… Nothing could separate them anymore… _

_…or so they thought._

…

…

…

"So you guys figured it out?" Takumi asked with a gentle smile.

"_I _figured it out," Okita corrected him as he leaned back on the couch and rested an ankle on his knee.

"Without me, you wouldn't have been able to figure out anything-aru!"

"You couldn't have figured it out either way, so shut it."

"You—!" It was annoying how true that counter was. Damn sadist who refused to tell her the answer… She had been asking him about it all the way as they headed to Togae's place, but Sougo's lips stayed sealed.

"Hmph. It's not that I can't-aru. I just don't like to think too much, yes?"

"I suggest you do. We don't want your brain to become as empty as your bra, do w—?"

In that instant, Kagura grabbed the boy by his hair and tugged hard to make him shut up. The fact that she had fallen in love with him and that he had a point about her not being able to figure it out by herself, didn't matter at all; if he insulted her, he would get it. Nevertheless, Sougo was quite the competitive guy himself. With hands reached out, he started to pinch and stretch her cheeks as a reply to the challenge.

Their fight soon turned into a game of wrestle when the Yato managed to fall off the couch, unintentionally dragging the sandy-haired boy with her. None of them felt like giving up just yet, which resulted in more irritation, which resulted in the fight growing severe, which in turn made them want to kill each other. Not that they hadn't always been like that, of course.

The client seemed carefree like usual while watching them fight. It might have been her imagination, but this guy appeared to enjoy their arguments to some extent; as if he knew there was nothing to worry about, because they secretly got along under the surface.

"You guys really like to fight, don't you?" When the adult spoke up, they quickly let go of each other and crawled back on the couch again. Looking away, the China-girl crossed her arms as she tried to calm down.

"More importantly… What are you planning?" Okita turned his attention to the terrorist, sounding like an older brother telling bullies to stop bothering his sibling, "You gave her a hard task – That imbecile could never have figured it out on her own."

"Oi! Who're you calling imbecile, you basta—!"

"That's because I knew you would help her," the older male explained with confidence, "After all… Souchirou-kun is a very gentle person…"

"…"

At this statement, the Shinsengumi captain fell silent. Even without saying anything, it was obvious that he strongly disagreed. _'You're wrong… I'm not…nice at all…'_ was written all over his face. The Amanto really hated it when melancholy invaded him like that… Making mistakes was a normal thing. Why did he always have to take the burden on himself?

"Mou. Can't you reveal who Takumi is? The readers must be tired of waiting-aru. A reviewer even thought it was Bakasugi! Can you believe that?"

"…"

"Sadist, what's wrong? Did you go dumb, yes?"

"…Iie. I thought of an insult just now, but our author won't let me abuse the readers," Sougo shrugged in disappointment. "Not that it makes any sense, though. I doubt those masochists would stop reading this fic after only an insult or two."

"Hah, what can that dude do - Stop writing the story? Who cares about the readers-aru; it's not like we get paid for playing along with this anyway."

"If you're unhappy about our condition, why don't you voice your thoughts for a change? After all; without us, there won't be any fic to write."

"Ohh! I should-aru!" Kagura looked up at the ceiling and balled her fist, as if she was glaring straight at her writer. "**CrimsonINsight**, listen here-aru! You're such a j*rk for not l*tting us say wh*tever we want, y** k***? We're c********* w*** our own ******! *-**, *-****'* *********!"

"Ah. So this is the power of the author." Okita uttered in a monotone voice at how this fanfic's creator dealt with the girl's rebellion.

"Hey, st*p c*nsoring m* w*rds as if I've said s*mething bad! I'm n*t like th* s*dist-***!"

"Give up already. There's no use trying to stand against him."

"I-Idi*t! Y*u w*re the *ne wh* t*ld me to v*ice my th*ughts!"

"And you were stupid enough to do it, China."

"*** ****!"

Takumi laughed lightly at their conversation before getting up. "I'll make us something. Be nice to each other~"

Kagura nodded at him as he left, although she not before long turned back to her rival again. "* **** ***."_ (I hate you.) _

"No, China, you can't take a dump here."

"**** **!_ (Shut up!) _

"Yeah, I know it's difficult to hold it in. Let me bring you to the toilet."

"*** **** *** *** ******** ****-***!" (_The hell are you babbling about-aru!)_

"Squeeze your ass together. Come on. You can do it. "

"**** ** ******-***! *** ****** *** **** *** ** ** *** ** *****, ***** * ***'* **** ***** ********!" _(This is unfair-aru! The sadist can make fun of me all he wants, while I can't even reply properly!)_

"Tch. Serves you right, you br***less m***t*** gori***," the young man said, but his confidence soon disappeared when his words were censored too. "…D*mn *t."

"GYAHA******~! The auth*r l*ves me-***!"

"As if y*u're the *ne t* talk. Anyway, back to our main topic," the Shinsengumi captain declared to end their ******-battle, not wanting to let this chapter exceed 4500 words.

"Uh-uh. Now tell me who Takumi is-aru!"

"We were right about him mixing the letters," Sougo began, his expression becoming serious again, "Your mistake, however…"

"My mistake…?"

Instead of explaining everything, the youngster showed her Togae's note - the one she handed to him earlier. It read: **{TOGAE "HAJIRO" TAKUMI}**. The blue-eyed teen could be slow and naïve at times, but she was definitely not a complete idiot. It only took a moment before she realized the problem.

"Oh no, I forgot _Hajiro_-aru…"

"Sure did, you brat. We could have continued for hours with no luck," the sadist scolded her as he wrote down Takumi's whole name on a piece of paper and started solving the word scramble for her to see.

* * *

><p>{TOGAE HAJIRO TAKUMI}<p>

- {HAJIRO TGOAI TAMEKU}

- - {HIJIRO TAGOKA TAMEU}

- - - {HIJIKA TAGO TAMEROU}

- - - - {**HIJIKATA TAMEGOROU**}

* * *

><p>"Ah!" The Yato's sky blue orbs lightened up with amazement at the sudden realization.<p>

"I expected no less from a genius," Tamegorou, who just came back from the kitchen commented on Okita's analyzing skills, "You're quite sharp, Souchirou-kun."

"Sougo desu."

"Are you serious-aru?" She…couldn't believe it… Her client, a terrorist, was Hijikata's older brother. This guy appeared in the Baragaki Arc, which was one of the newer episodes. Everything made sense now. Or…maybe not. She got _some_ stuff figured out, however many things were still unclear.

"But Tamegorou-san, aren't you supposed to be…" Her voice trailed off because she wasn't sure how to form those words.

"Dead?" The black-haired adult chuckled, as if it didn't matter much. "Seems like that, yes."

"Then how-aru?"

"What do you think?" The older male asked gleefully before answering her question: "Time-traveling."

The female stared dumbfounded at her client. Of course she had heard about time-machines and time-skips – Gintoki mentioned them once in awhile, but…was this even possible? "Takumi-san, you're a time-traveler-aru?"

"Not quite. But I knew someone who was. One day, that kid approached me. I had never seen her before our first encounter, but she gave an expression of knowing me from one place or another," The client poured them some green tea as he shared his story, "She told me that everything happened for a reason – that I should stay strong even though my life would be enveloped in darkness. It wasn't until later that I understood what she meant…"

At that moment, Kagura suddenly remembered something she had read on Hijikata's profile:

_[ "When Toushirou was eleven, there was a large fire in the village, and some bandits used this opportunity to break in and tried to attack Toushirou. In the attack, Tamegorou protected Toushirou from getting killed by the bandits and ended up losing his eyes." ]_

"'_Enveloped in darkness'_ – You'll become blind-aru…"

Takumi nodded, acknowledging her guess. "Knowing that, I wanted to see my brother one last time. I wanted to have an image of the future Toushi imprinted on my mind; something I could hold onto as my life ended and I couldn't see anything else. That girl…was going to help me accomplish my wish, but we traveled too far in the future and saw something we shouldn't have…"

"Something…you shouldn't have…?" The blue-eyed alien repeated, not sure what the other meant. Despite this, she could tell from his facial expression that it wasn't something pleasant.

"In shock, she hurried back to change the past before it was too late, completely forgetting about me. Maybe she found out later that I had some kind of purpose in this future and decided not to come back? I don't know. Either way, I was left trapped between space and time until I was dropped off here, a few years ago for reasons unknown. When I came to Edo, I heard about a certain _Hijikata Toushirou_ and before I realized it, I had ended up joining the terrorists in my search for more information."

"But by doing that, it'll become impossible for you to get close to your brother without being caught by the police-aru."

"It's okay. Really," The older male sent her a gentle smile, "I can't interact with Toushi without changing the past anyway…"

"I…don't understand-aru…"

"Allow me to explain," he added after seeing the sukonbu-lover's confused face.

"The act of** _traveling in time_** is different from, for example, the act of** _changing the past_**. My planned journey to the future had only one purpose: To let me **_see_** Toushi. As in, **_watch over_ **him for a short time. This won't affect the timeline, because I'm not doing anything to change it, - even Toushi himself won't realize that he's being watched. At this moment on the other hand, I've accidentally invaded a time where I don't belong. Think about it. What can happen if I meet my brother face-to-face right now?"

"Um…" Although the young lady thought hard, she couldn't figure it out.

"He'll realize the fact that there's a way to travel through time," Okita who had stayed quiet all this time spoke up. "With that kind of knowledge, Hijikata-san might get overwhelmed with emotions and think of going back to the past to save you, his hero."

"Indeed. Everyone has regrets in life and questions they want answers for. However, the tiniest changes can cause fatal outcomes. Some things were meant to happen and we have to accept that, no matter how painful reality may be. I'm affecting your futures as we speak right now, - if it's for good or bad, I don't know. My reason for letting you figure out who I am, was a way to leave you to fate. If this meeting wasn't meant to be, something would prevent you from solving my puzzle, thus not letting this conversation happen."

"I see-aru… There's still something I don't understand, though. If you don't want to change the future in any way… Why did you look for me?"

"I needed help from someone who knew Toushi; someone other than a Shinsengumi member, because they would probably never believe the words of a terrorist. While running through time with that time-traveler, I got a glimpse of episode 102 where Tosshi took pictures of you. Without any other clue to follow, this was the best I could do."

"Oh!"

The teen had worn an embarrassed look on her face as she was taken pictures of. _So that's where the whole 'cute eyes' thing came from-aru._

"But Takum- I mean, Tamegorou-san… What kind of help do you need from me? What am I supposed to do-aru?"

"You see, there's another problem I need to deal with…"

"Another problem?"

Tamegorou nodded lightly and a sigh escaped his lips. He then looked into the Yato's ocean-blue orbs in all seriousness,

"…I need to return to my own time."

…

…

…

_Kinda lose your sense of time_  
><em>'Cause the days don't matter no more<em>  
><em>All the feelings that you hide<em>  
><em>Gonna tear you up inside;<em>  
><em>You hope she knows you tried…<em>

_– **"Unforgivable Sinner"**, Lene Marlin_

…

…

…

_With a hand firmly resting on the hilt of his sword, the sadist stood there in the rain like a predator waiting for its prey. Waiting… Waiting… _

_Just when the poor child passed by, our sandy-haired prince pulled him into a dark alley. Okita slammed him against the dirty, humid ground before digging his sharp blade deep into said person's chest. A scream echoed through the air, but no one was present to hear it… No one other than the attacker, of course._

_That kid…had not seen this coming at all._

_Sougo's crimson eyes watched the younger victim attempting to fight back, but all in vain. He was completely defenseless against the sadist…_

_Blazing-red liquid spurted out from the open wound on the boy's rib cage; this, however, was not at all enough to satisfy the Shinsengumi captain. Sougo hastily pulled his sword out of the fragile body before digging it back in, just as deep – if not, even deeper than before. He then repeated this process, over and **over** and **over** again_…__

_"W-Wh…y…?" The younger child managed to let out weakly; his voice shaken, breath hitching violently. He seemed to have so much to say, but those last words escaped his lips as nothing more than quiet, helpless squeaks. Slowly, his beautiful eyes started to lose its glow… As if life itself was leaving him…_

_It wasn't until the prey stopped moving completely that our sadist ceased his stabbing. Sougo had hurt too many people in his lifetime…yet, he was standing there,** trembling** in front of that one corpse. How many times did he wound the victim…? He had lost count…_

_"…I…did it…" Okita let go of his blood-covered sword and fell down on his knees, breathing heavily. "I really…did it…" He felt…relieved somehow, but couldn't help how the feelings of guilt and regret tore him up on the inside. Was this…the right thing to do…?_

_The police officer paid no heed to the drops of water that dripped from his burnished color strands as it began to pour down… At this moment, he had other things to worry about. What if…she found out…?_

_…No. He couldn't let her know about this… It would break her. Regardless of how much he wanted to tell himself "I did it for her… It's all for her sake…", that kind of reason just wouldn't do… How could he be so selfish…?_

_**Tch… What use is there in asking that now…? It's too late…**_

_It's far too late…_

_As much as he wished all this to remain only as a gruesome nightmare, it wasn't… He was now surrounded by darkness, but even that couldn't hide the fiery stains on the walls. This was his sin. A sin which could never be forgiven._

_There was no turning back._

_Albeit not being the weepy kind, the young male failed to hold back one single tear which gracefully trickled down his cheek and landed on the ground… The sadist had already decided. He was going to keep his side of the promise, no matter what…and nothing –** nothing** else mattered…_

_"We'll be together…" Sougo clenched his fists in determination._

_**"…that's…a promise…"**_

_[End of Chapter 8]_


	9. To Protect Your Smile

**All I want for Christmas is…**

**…To Protect Your Smile.** _[Chapter 9]_

_"…I need to return to my own time."_

Those words came apparently out of nowhere, which confused the Yato greatly. But as people say; patience is a virtue.

The older Hijikata sibling waited a moment for his words to sink in before proceeding from the previous chapter.

"You must be wondering _how_ the act of time-traveling is possible. In truth, I'm not knowledgeable about this topic either, but_ lady time-traveler_ had a gate-opener in the form of a pocket watch. It allowed her to enter the dimension of space and time, and from there, we would run along the timeline whether it be to the past or future. Sadly, that time-traveler isn't around anymore... My only way to return, is to find someone with a clock alike hers."

So the question was _where_ to look. Kagura mused at the thought, her cerulean hues fixated on her cup of green tea before taking a sip. Was there a way to tell if someone had that kind of gate-opener? Unlike vending machines, pocket watches were small, and as the name implied; it could fit perfectly in anyone's pocket. Finding something like that didn't sound easy.

To the Yato's surprise however; when the redhead asked if he had any hints that could lead them to the right person, he nodded.

"As a matter of fact, I do. It's quite a coincidence, actually."

"I se— Wait, you do?" The sukonbu-lover whipped her head in the direction of her client, aquamarines widening noticeably. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and bring you back!"

"My thoughts, exactly~ Don't you agree, Sou-chan?"

Okita's reply commenced with a piercing glare at the older Hijikata sibling who feigned not to notice. Clearly, the police officer disliked to be called by that epithet. "I was thinking I'd let you see Hijikata," he revealed, appearing completely calm although something in his look hinted darker intentions.

See Mayora? Didn't they have a talk earlier about how Tamegorou _couldn't_ meet his brother because that might affect the future? What the hell was that sadist thinking! "Are you stupid-aru? Did you hurt your head somewhere? Or perhaps the author took so long writing this chapter that you've forgotten the whole plot?" The maiden's insults were aimed at Sougo like sharp arrows, ready to hit its target spot-on unless he made his move. The blackhead had other plans, however.

"Okita-kun, it's fine. You don't have to stall time anymore," he told the younger boy in all seriousness while leaning forward to stare into his crimson eyes. "You have it, don't you? The timepiece…"

_Stillness._

Realization descended upon the brunet's composed features; like a child who was pointed out for something bad he did but gave not much of a reaction because he had seen it coming all along. Looking away, the Shinsengumi captain broke their eye-contact. "Not if _she's_ here," happened to be his reply.

_What? _Those words made a frown invade her countenance.

"Oi, sadist! What's that supposed to mean? Are you mocking me; I'm not kid anym—!" But further, she did not get. The painful look that had been spread all over her rival's visage made the teenage's heart ache. No… Okita wasn't mocking her. This wasn't one of those jokes where he attempted to piss her off. Whatever reason he had, the sadist _truly_ didn't want to involve her in this. As if…he was trying to _protect_ her.

"Okita-kun." _Sigh. _"Keeping Kagura-chan in the dark… This…isn't what you're fighting for, is it…?"

Once again, Tamegorou seemed to know much more about Sougo than she ever did._ It irked her._ How was she supposed to deal with this or even try help him if he kept hiding everything from her?

"Your battle is a different one," the terrorist advised. "Don't waste your time on minor details. Who knows—what if this was meant to happen? What if…it was for the better that Kagura-chan knew about it?"

A minute of silence passed by, and finally, his words managed to change the youngster's mind.

"…guess I'm done playing along," Sougo muttered as he placed down his own cup of tea, somehow disappointed. In an almost unwilling manner, the division captain fished out from his pocket a small, round pendant-looking clock made of gold.

"I knew you had it…" Tamegorou stated, overwhelmed with relief caused by his accurate guess about the one keeping the timepiece. "Kagura-chan, here it is. This pocket watch is a gate-opener which allows its user to enter the dimension of space and time. The time-traveler I met had one."

_Wait… What was going on?_

"Sadist, you're… You—" Her mouth remained agape as sky-blue hues glued themselves on the tiny clock, surprised. "EEEEEEEEHHHHH? S-Sadist, how did you get that!"

Sentences which started with_ what, where, why,_ and _how _built up inside her mind at a rapid pace. Completely baffled by this revelation, Kagura had problems keeping her calm. Sougo on the other hand, stayed mute.

There was only one thing she was certain of right now, and that was the fact that _this_ was the thing he had been trying to hide from her all along. Was it really _that _much of a big deal if she knew? It made her wonder if the sadist had ever traveled in time, or even taken it to the next level—_changed_ the past. Knowing him, he probably did it already. But for what purpose?

_"Oi Sougo, where the hell are you?" _Toushirou's riled voice emitted from the sadist's radio transceiver, interrupting her train of thought. Recognizing his younger brother's voice, the client put on a blissful look. Upon seeing this, Okita handed the walkie-talkie to him instead of replying his boss. Tamegorou's euphoric expression turned into an addled one as he accepted the tool, unsure of what this brunet wanted him to do with it. The sadist didn't lie about letting him 'see' Hijikata after all.

_"Oi, Sougo!"_

…should he reply? The blackhead seemed to wonder as he hesitatingly placed the radio transceiver closer to his lips.

"H…Hijikata?"

The other end grew quiet. Did the Mayo Freak recognize his sibling's voice?

"You're not Sougo. State your name at this instant or commit seppuku."

Perhaps Toushirou _did_ catch on the familiarity in the other's voice, but chances were that he thought it would be impossible for him to directly converse with a dead person and decided not to have funny guesses about who he was actually talking to.

"Togae Takumi. I'm just a terrorist who picked up this transceiver your friend left behind~ So, how are you doing on this fine day, Hijikata-kun?"

Of course, this caused the officer to throw a fit. First of all, his subordinate had been irresponsible enough to lose his own walkie-talkie, and now, the terrorist who had picked it up was making fun of him. Fate refused to be kind today.

Tamegorou on the contrary, was just happy that he got to converse with his brother. As long as the police officer didn't get suspicious, it should be fine…right?

As she watched him, Kagura couldn't help but wonder how he felt about all this. What did the older Hijikata sibling think after knowing his future? That no matter how hard he tried, he would still have his sight taken away from him, get separated from his brother, then die a lonely death drowned in darkness…?

Time was such a heart-wrenching thing, indeed. She had always known it was after experiencing how time could change those she held dear and tear her family apart, leaving her with no place called 'home'… But to move towards your own misery like her client did was a complete different thing.

Getting trapped in your own darkness was unpleasant, and so was being alone. Just the thought of it made her cringe. Could_ she_ deal with such a fate? Then again, watching someone you held dear struggle in the darkness hurt even more一would she be able to accept Okita if his intention for traveling in time turned out to be bad…? There was also this question about where he got the clock from. Her little head wasn't meant for complicated things like these…

The conversation between the two siblings ended with Hijikata disconnecting in annoyance, but not before he swore to find this Takumi-guy wherever he was and throw him in the slammer. The older male allowed a chuckle escape his lips as he handed the transceiver back to its owner. His brother had grown, but he was still the hot-headed kid he used to know.

"You've become such a fine man, Toushi… I'm so…proud…" Tamegorou smiled sheepishly to himself before turning to thank the Shinsengumi captain for giving him such a rare opportunity. It was short-lived and risky, yes, but he had pulled it off well. Despite the trouble, at least this trip to the future wasn't in vain…

"I know I shouldn't ask more of the two of you, but…" the terrorist's gaze shifted between the youngsters, "Okita-kun, Kagura-chan… May I have one last request? There's a place I want to visit before I return to the past."

…

…

…

"_Sou-chan," the sandy-haired girl said softly one night when they sat at their porch, under the starry sky. "Put out your hands… I have a gift for you."_

"…_?" Okita blinked a few times, his deep, crimson orbs glinted with anticipation. A gift? Why…? It wasn't his birthday…because they only celebrated it when the air got warmer. Or could it be…an early Christmas present?_

_The child was confused, but did as he was told by showing Mitsuba his palms._

"_Listen carefully…" the older spoke as she placed something in Sougo's tiny hands, "This is a special pocket watch… A clock which lets you travel through time."_

_The young sadist could feel the cold metal against his skin, which only perked his interest even further as he stared at it in wonder. A clock…which let him travel through time? Was that possible? He had never heard about such a thing before… But Ane-ue never lied._

"_I want you to promise…" Mitsuba closed his fists around the timepiece, "…that no matter what might happen, you won't use it on me. Even if… I happen to go where papa and mama are…"_

_At her sudden request, the young boy frowned. "No wanna…!" He protested and tried to wrap his short arms around his sister's waist, lightly clinging to her. "I wanna stay wid chuu…"_

__"You mustn't, Sou-chan…" _His words seemed to pain her, because she looked as though she wanted to cry… Which was rare, because Ane-ue always smiled. He hated to see her like this. It made his chest hurt a lot. A kind if hurt which candies, hugs or kisses couldn't heal__…___

"_Wh…Why…n-not…?" Droplets of water trickled down the brunet's chubby cheeks. Being the good boy he was, Sougo tried to hold back his tears; he really did…but the thought of not having his sister by his side was unimaginable for the poor child. Their parents had disappeared__…was Ane-ue going to leave him too__?_____

"_You have to move on with your life…there's so much waiting for you in the future," the tabasco-lover brushed her slender fingers through Okita's soft locks tenderly, "Please promise me that… For my sake…?"_

"_S…" the kid sniffed and shifted his gaze down on the wooden floor. He didn't want to…but if this was his Ane-ue wish, then… "…Sou-chan pwomis…"_

_At the little one's words, Mitsuba smiled – a smile filled with hurt and relief, both at the same time. "Even though it's difficult, you'll be fine, Sou-chan… T__hat girl will be there after all_…___" she whispered in Sougo's ear as she pulled him into a tight hug. _

"_I'm sorry… Please forgive your sister for confusing you like this…" the brunette uttered under her breath and placed a soft kiss on his forehead, "…I'm so sorry…"_

_The Okita siblings kept hugging each other for a long time… Their tear-filled eyes expressed how painful this was一This farewell, which would take place sometime in the future… But when? No one knew…_

_Sougo didn't understand much of this…he didn't understand anything at all, but something was definitely bothering his beloved Ane-ue. The sandy-haired boy had never seen her like that before… So lost… So broken… So…desperate…_

_The way she kept apologizing over and over was too heart-wrenching… Oh, how he wished…wished with all of his might, that he could free her from the suffering…_

…_but what if it turned out…that __**he **__was the cause of her struggles…?_

…_what…was he supposed to do then…?_

_…_

_…_

_…_

Kagura had been pondering what kind of place her client wanted to visit.

Turned out it was his own grave. Perhaps it was a way to confirm his existence, she wasn't sure.

It felt strange to see a guy place flowers on top of a gravestone which belonged to him; wildflowers, which he had picked up from the side road earlier where they were swaying in the cold breeze of a winter evening—completely abandoned_._

Unlike the two citizens, Sougo didn't enter the graveyard but remained waiting in front of its gate.

"I…used to think that certain things could last forever… That I could _make _them last forever if I worked hard enough; wished hard enough," Tamegorou spoke, moldavites reflecting the memorial's granite surface. "Toushi was such an innocent child back then. _'I want to protect his smile,' _I would tell myself as I watched him grow up day by day…but time waits for no one."

"Can't you just ask the sadist to change the past? Like, give you the opportunity to bring chibi Mayora away from home before the incident occurred-aru."

"Unfortunately, no. If it didn't happen, a lot of things in _this_ present couldn't have happened; Toushi wouldn't have left home, couldn't have met his buddies, and most likely never have become the Shinsengumi member he is today. Again, if he never became a police officer, the lives of people he has saved through the past years might get affected too. Do you understand? Things which lie too far in the past should not be dug up, because the changes would be fatal. You, however, still have a chance to change your future. It's not too late yet."

"Why…would I do that-aru?" The Yato asked, puzzled over what she had been told. What was there to change? Wasn't her life like this good enough? She had Gintoki, Shinpachi and Sadaharu - life was fun because the Yorozuya always stayed together. She also had Otae, Kyuubei, Tsukuyo, Sa-chan, Soyo and Nobume, only to mention a few. Even Zura, Sakamoto, Mutsu, and the Shinsengumi which only consisted of idiots could offer enjoyable moments.

And of course, there was the sadist…

"Kagura-chan… Don't take my words to heart, but…there's something you should probably know…" the raven-haired man looked in the direction of the gate where Okita was standing, his voice reducing a few notches, "That boy…doesn't have much time left. He knows that better than anyone else…"

Sky-blue eyes opened wide in shock. _What is he talking about…? __'Not much time'_, as in…?

"You'd think that a time-traveler can undo all their mistakes, giving him or her a life without misery…but that's not true. Everything_—_and note when I say that_ everything_ comes with a price. By making drastic changes in time, your lifespan will be shortened. Basically, you're cutting off the end of your own timeline to add more time other places, which creates the illusion of _'re-doing the past'_. I've met a time-traveler, but believe me; in the end, even she was incapable of escaping her fate."

"…then…what-aru. What will become of him…?"

"There's not much he can do to prevent himself from meeting the end. Nevertheless, he _can _be saved_—_and you're the only one who can do it. To pull that off however, you need trust him no matter what the future might bring… Kagura-chan… Can you do that?"

It was getting hard to breath. Just a moment ago, she thought he would always be around; thought they would remain rivals until childish insults like _brat _couldn't be used anymore—although they'd still use them, because that was how they did things. That was how they interacted, fought, hated yet respected each other; how they were supposed to continue until the last breath of life left their bodies, leaving them cold and lifeless for eternity.

What could have been important enough for the sadist, to the point that he wouldn't hesitate trading his own lifespan for…?

_…_

_…_

_… _

_I can feel the fire in your heart_  
><em>Burning you and tearing you apart<em>  
><em>This might be the ending of your dreams;<em>  
><em>Please wake up 'cause nothing's ever what it seems…<em>

_–**"Moments"**, originally by Ayumi Hamazaki_

_…_

_…_

_…_

_She could see him a few meters away, trying to keep up with his opponent. Whenever he wasn't at the offensive, the sadist would either use his sword to block or just jump away swiftly. Locks of sandy-brown hair fluttered softly with every attack he made. Obscure pools of maroon, focused, as he aimed at the vital points on the other's body. He hit them most of the time, but the damage couldn't be compared to the blows which were sent back at him._

_Even so, Okita refused to give up._

"_You really love that man, don't you," Another voice, followed by a hit of an umbrella, tugged her conscience back to the situation she was having at hand. Indeed, this wasn't the time to laze around. The guy in front of her wasn't quite an easy target either._

"_A human. Really?" Aquamarines were glued to the police officer as he spoke. "You've always been __**weak**__, Kagura. But since when did you sink this low?"_

_She was about to tell him not to look away from her during a fight. But then, he continued, and made a pair of eyes similar to his widen in shock._

"_Wouldn't it have been a shame…if something happened to him?"_

_No. He couldn't be serious… He couldn't. Or…could he? That guy could fight her. He could hurt her. Heck, he could even kill her for all she cared… Anything. __**Anything **__but that._

"_Y…You dont __**dare**__." The Yato said, but her shaking voice proved otherwise: She was doubting her own words._

_Of course he dared. Or rather; it would have been a pleasure for him to do it._

_As if he was saying 'watch me', the other __**smiled**__. A smile, much more evil and psychotic than the ones he often wore. That was the only reply she received. The next thing happened so fast that her mind had problems progressing it._

_At the speed of lightning, Kamui stormed in the police officer's direction with his hand raised. She recognized that stance. She recognized it awfully well. The said hand was ready to force its way through the victim; skin, flesh and bone altogether. It was a Yato's killer move. And Sougo was too busy dealing with Abuto to see it coming. __**He didn't see it coming.**_

"_**SADIST—!**_" _The girl screamed on top of her lungs in a hoarse voice. Her throat was dry, but she didn't care. Kagura felt her heart make a jump in her chest as the distance between the two males closed in._

_At that moment, she realized how cruel fate could be sometimes…_

_He was going to die._

_[End of Chapter 9]_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Note:<em>**

Hey again, readers. Yeah, I'm still persistent on getting this fic done |D The reviews make me very happy. I always go through them as I plan my next chapters, so keep them coming~ I hope the puzzle pieces are starting to fall into place? You can always re-read the parts in italic if it's getting hard to follow.


	10. Anything But This

**All I want for Christmas is…**

_**…Anything But This.** [Chapter 10]_

The last thing Kagura remembered, was how her rival flipped open the clock and turned on its stem.

Darkness suddenly invaded their surroundings; an ocean of nothingness except for those she accompanied. Aside from the sound of their own breathing, it was completely still.

But then, she heard something. A faint ticking noise…

The feeling of nostalgia invaded the Yato's whole body, filled her very existence and wrapped itself around her as though it was embracing tightly—a hug of compassion, she assumed. Aside from the soothing warmth, it also hinted sadness, pain, loneliness, death… Time had so much to tell after all…

"Follow me," Okita directed calmly, and made a dash in one direction. The raven-haired male obeyed without any question; unlike Kagura, he had done this from way back and knew how it worked. Our heroin on the contrary, needed a few seconds to clear her mind before she could tail the other two.

As they ran through time, the young lady could see many different scenes flash by at once. Most of them were too blurry for her to recognize, but she perceived some: _School of Beam Saber, Courtesan of a Nation, Baragaki, Rokkaku, Popularity Contest, Shinsengumi Crisis… _Even when they passed the first episode of Gintama, Sougo did not stop. Their destination was further in the past.

At one point, everything became so elusive that she just couldn't focus anymore. The only thing that she could think of, was to run…

…

…

…

_Come with me in the twilight of a summer night for awhile_  
><em>Tell me of a story never ever told in the past<em><em>…<em>__

_Take me back to the land_  
><em>Where my yearnings were born<em>  
><em>The key to open the door is in your hand<em>  
><em>Now fly me there<em>…<em>_

_—**"Key of the Twilight"**, Yuki Kajiura_

_…_

_…_

_…_

When the Yato finally opened her eyes, they weren't surrounded by darkness anymore, but something appearing to be a storage. Dusty corners. Old furniture. Worn out fabrics. The evening twilight gave the partially dark room a bleeding glow of crimson. A young Toushirou could be seen playing alone in front of their house with glass marbles you could get from suspicious-looking street stands for a low price. They were now in the past, right before the incident occurred.

"There will be a large fire happening soon. I must warn the villagers so we can put it out," the blackhead uttered while contemplating his brother through the window. Poor child… The boy had no idea what awaited him. Turning to face them again, Tamegorou playfully ruffled their hair. "Can you keep an eye on Toushi in case the bandits come around?"

The rival duo nodded, and so, they parted ways. While the client left to do his job as a villager, Okita and Kagura settled down beside his brother. The blue-eyed girl wondered what they would do if the future vice-chief happened to see them, but he proceeded to play as though no one was around.

"We don't belong in this time. He can't sense our presence unless we decide to invade it like Tamegorou did with ours," the sadist shoved his soiled boot against his boss' younger self's back-head, pressing it into ink-dyed locks like one would do when wiping dirty soles on a doormat. The child's hair tufts remained the same however; unstained and in position.

Puffy clouds drifted slowly by and reminded Kagura of pinkish cotton candy she had once. If anything, today appeared wonderful and promised of a morning just as beauteous. She knew that wasn't the case, however.

"Come to think of it… You've always wanted Mayora dead, right?" Asked she, with an expression of curiosity. "What would happen if you kill him now?"

"He'd disappear from the present," Sougo responded as he kept abusing the innocent youngster without him noticing, "Someone who's dead in the past can't exist in the future."

Well, that made sense. Whoever owned a gate-opener had tremendous power, considering how they could decide the outcome of another individual's life. Nevertheless; in good hands and if used right, the clock could be useful to a high degree. This only raised the question about whether or not the whole matter was _fair_. Was it fair to leave the older sibling like this? For the sake of the Mayo Freak's future, his brother sacrificed his own. It was Tamegorou's wish, but that didn't make this situation less unrightful on his part.

Distracting, the captain's behavior was, as he unleashed his dislike on the vice-chief's younger self. Being quite playful herself, Kagura joined in when the sadist started spitting on Hijikata's face and they started a short-lived competition to see who could eject most drool.

"What's wrong, Hijikata-san. Can't scold me now, can you?"

"Shower in my spit—Gyahahahaha~!"

Good thing none of that could affect the kid, or else he would have been covered in dirt, saliva and bruises by now.

Satisfied with their deed when it was over, the two youngsters seated themselves at the doorstep. It felt nice to joke around, but her joy disappeared when she was reminded of what the client had said.

"Hey, Sadist…" Delicate fingers brushed vermilion red locks behind one ear as her voice became serious. "Is it true that time-travelers shorten their lifespan each time they change the past?"

_A pause. _

"Where'dya hear that from."

"Tamegorou-san told me."

"That idiot…" Sougo seemed a little annoyed despite the calm demeanor, she noticed. "Who knows. This clock was used by Ane-ue before she gave it to me. Might as well end up like her, I suppose."

Had Tamegorou been talking about Mitsuba…? Was she the time-traveler who warned him about his dark future? No wonder why he kept using _Sou-chan_ which was the name Okita's sister fondly called the sadist by.

_That must the reason why her health grew for the worse-aru… _The maiden lightly bit her lower lip at said thought. By handing the clock to the brunet, Mitsuba had made such a big change in time which resulted in her passing away at early age. According to what she knew, the same would happen to him.

"I don't like it-aru… I hate you, but I don't like it."

"What are you saying. Won't you be the first to shout _banzai _and break into dance at my funeral?" the sandy-haired male tilted his head to look at her. As if he was waiting for something; a reaction. "I don't need pity—especially not from you."

"Quiet, jerk. I'm already your funeral planner; don't make me the cause of your death," she snapped, eyebrows furrowed. What was this numbskull talking about? Although she might not act like it, the girl was incapable of rejoicing about him passing away. How could he even _say _such a thing?

Hadn't they affected each other's lives enough? No matter the difficulties the Yorozuya had to face, she was sure the Shinsengumi guys would back them up in their own rude way. They all bickered and insulted each other as though it was a daily routine, but that meant _cipher_ when it really counted. Trust. Bonds. Those kinds of things couldn't be expressed with words. It wasn't necessary, because they could be felt. _Saying that I'll celebrate at his funeral… It pisses me off-aru._

"China, don't waste your time worrying about trivial matters. I already told you. After this is over, we won't have anything to do with each other anymore."

Indeed, he stated something similar while they tried figuring out who the client was.

_["Then why don't we work together? I've got all the clues. Without me, you won't be able to get far; without you, I'll starve to death. So, what do you say?"] __["…fine. But after this, you better leave me alone."]_

She didn't like the idea of being separated from him.

It was stupid how his existence affected her so tremendously. Heck, even the reviewers thought of her as out-of-character. She was **Kagura**; everybody's favorite heroin. Strong, tough, cute—_a lady_. She still was, but this whole thing about this bastard made her character feel off somehow. It was as if she had become a different person. As if she was playing a role that didn't belong to her… And no, this had nothing to do with the author's portrayal of her being bad.

What had been bothering Kagura the most _(and probably the readers as well)_, was the fact that she had no idea _why _she loved him. It sounded crazy coming from a Yato, to the point that she wanted to puke—but it took her roughly 3 chapters to discover her crush and give in to him, then only 1 to accept his apology. Now that they were in the 10th chapter, spending time with Sougo had become something she didn't find annoying anymore. They truly got along.

…_but then, it hit her._

What if these feelings weren't _hers _in the first place? The Sadist was a time-traveler, which meant that they might have interacted more times than she could remember. If she, in another time-line, had a crush on Okita… That would explain why her crush for him grew so fast in this story.

She was about to ask him regarding this when aquamarines caught onto something else—

_Smoke. _

The fire had started. Hijikata got up from his crouching position as he, too, noticed changes in the sky's colors. What a few moments ago were roofs that provided shelter during stormy night, had now been licked by flames of affliction.

But who caused it? The search for said culprit came to an end as her eyes rested at a hill not far away from where they were standing.

"Sadist, look—!" The sukonbu-lover exclaimed, a finger pointing at the height so he could see it too. On that uprising surface stood three people. _Are they the bandits? _Wondered she. _Wait, no._ The blue-eyed had a feeling she knew them. In fact, she was sure knew them considerably well, but it was impossible to identify anyone under these circumstances. "They're the ones behind this incident-aru! If we catch up with them, we might know who were responsible for this wrongdoin—!"

"There's no time for that." Just as he replied her, two males broke into Tamegorou's property with weapons in hand. She had been unsure about the trio on the hill, but these were, without doubt, the awaited brigands.

As their blades were raised, the child fell backwards while attempting to escape. Afore Kagura managed to react, a loud call broke through the air.

_**"GET AWAY, TOUSHI!"**_

Tamegorou came running between them right when one of the criminals lowered his cutting tool and slashed it across the older man's optics. Letting out a cry in pain, he knelt on the ground with a hand covering half of his face. Crimson fluid streamed down from where his beautiful orbs once were… Like tears of blood originating at a pair of hollowness. What was supposed to happen…happened. Sight of blood wasn't anything new for the Yato, but watching her friend in need without being able to help him… She couldn't handle that.

A few people from the household gathered behind the siblings. There were only two of the bandits; someone could have looked for weapons or at least gotten help from others—but all they did was to stare at the scene in shock. _W…What are those people doing-aru…? Why aren't they helping them? Why isn't anyone helping them…? _

If it wasn't for Sougo holding her back, she would have tried to jump at those fainthearts. How could humans be so selfish? Tamegorou and Toushirou had to suffer, all because some people were scared of losing their own lives.

"Didn't we already discuss about this? I know you're upset, but there's nothing we can do," the brunet reminded her once again.

"They're cowards-aru! All of them…!" Clenching her fists, the vermilion-haired female looked at him angrily. How could he be so calm? Didn't he feel _anything_? "You can't expect me to just stand here and watch!"

"China. Our job as interferers in time is not to _change_ the past. On the contrary, we're trying to _prevent_ it from changing."

"Then what's the point of us being here! Isn't our work done-aru?"

"Not yet. We need to make sure everything happens according to plan."

_According to plan?_ A fire broke out, the bandits showed up, her client had been wounded—what else were they waiting for?

_"He's not doing it." _The officer's gaze fixated at the view in front of them, as if he anticipated something decisive to happen.

"What, who? Wh-What are you talking about-aru?"

"Hijikata is supposed to stab the brigands' eyes…but he's not doing it."

Okita was right. The frightened child just sat there on the ground, staring wide-eyed at the enemies and his wounded brother. Toushirou's violent avengement was a necessity for them. As mentioned in the previous chapter; even the smallest change can create a completely different future.

Seconds went by, still the kid did not move or seemed like he planned to. It sounded unbelievable for someone at that age, with _no _experience in fighting to stand against thugs who a guy like Tamegorou had problems with. Even for the most determined person, being unarmed, he needed a chance to fight back; something he didn't have at the moment. The sadist was getting impatient.

Unable to wait any longer, Sougo revealed the clock and stretched out his hand to touch one of the bandits with it. As though contact with the sadist could break spells, said guy was now able to see them. Startled at the sight of the two youngsters who showed up from who-knows-where, he let go of his knife, then fell on the ground and backed away in fear after getting a straight punch in the face by the Shinsengumi captain. The other intruder, unaware of our main characters' existence, couldn't help but wonder if his partner had seen a ghost. They started arguing.

In the midst of such chaotic events, anger built up inside and Toushirou saw his chance. Hurriedly, he grabbed the blade and charged at the enemy, successfully gouging out their eyes in revenge for Tamegorou who was in a similar state.

Seeing that they were done here, Okita turned his back on the unpleasant scene whilst muttering a "Let's go" to Kagura. With the clock's stem turned, the gate was opened once again to allow them leap into the dimension of time. While following closely behind the running male, the Yato glanced over her shoulder. As the gate behind her vanished, she could see how everything on the other side was ablaze.

The three silhouettes on top of the hill had disappeared… But who they were, and what their reasons for starting the fire might be… She wasn't able to guess…

…

…

…

_[ When Toushirou was eleven, there was a large fire in the village, and some bandits used this opportunity to break in. They tried to attack Toushirou, but in the attack, Tamegorou protected him from getting killed and ended up losing his eyes. Toushirou was driven by rage and attacked the bandits. When he came to his senses, he was holding the bandits' knife, and the bandits were strewn across the floor, each with injuries to their eyes_—_similar to the ones that they inflicted on Tamegorou. His other siblings saw what had happened, and they all stood glaring in fear at him…in silence… ]_

…

…

…

Once more, their surroundings were drowned in darkness. By now, the sadist had slowed down, so they were more like walking than sprinting. The moments which floated by had become less imperceptible and she saw pieces of memories from everyone's past. Yamazaki playing badminton, Okita sitting on Kondou's shoulders, Otae holding Kyuubei's hand, herself at the dinning table with Umibouzu and a black-haired Kamui, Shinpachi drawing on the ground with a stick, Gintoki during Shoujou's class with Katsura and Takasugi…

The cute heroin felt a little sad, but happy at the same time. Sad, because those times had passed and could never come back—but glad because their paths had now crossed each other.

"You know, Sadist… I don't think you'll die-aru," Kagura stated, almost to herself.

"And your reason?"

"I believe there's a greater meaning to these encounters…" The Yato's gaze grew soft as she side-glanced at him, seemingly thoughtful—this however, didn't last long. "The chapter-list was accidentally copy-pasted in this document the other day, so I took a peek! This fic is gonna be long-aru; no way the author would let you die any time soon, uh-uh! Awesome, yes? Incredible, ye—?"

"So much for a _'greater meaning'_," Sougo snorted. "Didn't you see? Halfway, this fic's genres were changed from _Romance/Humor_ to _Angst/Romance_. Something nasty is going on."

"Erection! We haven't seen Romance anywhere, so the Angst-part could be a lie too-aru!"

"I'll assume you meant _objection_."

"Besides, if this story was about romance on the whole, wouldn't the rating be M instead of T? Most pairing fics have smut, yes? Uh-uh!"

"You're too young to get f*****."

"Oi, I'm a real lad—_W-WHAT ARE YOU SPUTTERING, Y-YOU P-PERVERT!_"

"Says the one who shamelessly shouted _erection _just a moment ago."

"Everything depends on the user, that's what Gin-chan says; it only sounds perverted coming from your mouth-aru."

"Look that word up sometime, will you. For your own sake."

The young girl's steps came to a halt when her own past floated by, awakening memories she held so dear. Father, mother, brother and her…all four of them, surrounding the table for dinner. It wasn't a royal's meal which could make your mouth water, but she had what she needed the most; a home. When was the last time they were assembled like this…? Like a real family…?

_Mami… _The most amazing female Yato she knew of, even until this day. What a shame her health failed… So strong and stunningly beautiful even Umibozu, the most powerful alien-hunter in the universe, couldn't stand up against the sight of her _(except for a certain part of him, that is)_. One day, Kagura wished to become just as admirable.

Those images of the Yato family eventually faded away, gradually shifting into some particular cloudy day. The leaden sky hinted of ill omen, foretelling heart-wrenching tales from the future. Amidst the bleak scenery stood a lonely police officer, whom this story revolves around._  
><em>

"Sadist… Isn't that…you?" Inquired Kagura softly, unknowing of what her eyes were set on. _Is this from the sadist's past? _She couldn't help but wonder, desiring for an understanding she yet didn't possess.

Crimson hues opened wide in distress.

"W-Wait, China_—_!"Okita grabbed the girl by her shoulders; he wanted to bring her away from here. It didn't matter where. But it was too late…

_{Turn away…}  
><em>

His expression said it all, but curiosity got the best of her and the maiden withstood. _She wanted to know._

_{You can't know the truth…}_

That was when the past Sougo unsheathed his sword.

_{Please don't look…}_

Kagura had seen him kill people before, just…not like this. Why was the sadist stabbing a kid? And with so much hate… She didn't understand.

_{I beg you… China…}_

It was too dark for her to see the victim at first, but her eyes eventually grew accustomed to the weak light. Realization hit the Yato so hard her whole body froze as turquoise optics widened horridly in shock at the gruesome scene in front of her.

_{China_…}__

_She recognized the child._ It was a face she knew too well; a face she could never forget. Like how misery out of nowhere invaded the Hijikata siblings' lives, _something _had triggered her sufferings too. It all made sense now… Out from her trembling lips escaped words—familiar, yet unfamiliar… Supposedly pleasant, but in truth, so unfortunately unpleasant:

…

"_Ba…ka_… A___…ni…k…i…"_

_…_

_…_

_…_

_We're spreading our wings out of a cage that's become tight;_  
><em>Dont<em>…<em>search for me wherever I may be_…__

_I will let you fly away out of a cage that became tight;_  
><em>Will you<em>…<em>be able to smile the same way again__…__?_

_—**"Lion"**, Amano Tsukiko_

_…_

_…_

_…_

_He came home late that evening. Clothes torn. Drenched in blood. Wounds so severe no human could have survived. Those from the Yato tribe had an insatiable hunger for supremacy, but he wasn't like that. She knew he wasn't. Her brother was cheery, protective and playful despite the killing instinct which slept within. He was the kind of sibling who would feed her more dango than he ate himself. The kind that would tell her stories about the outside world with such enthusiasm that growing up and 'becoming a lady' was something she wished would happen fast so she could explore it herself._

_But when he returned that day, the young child realized it._

_**This wasn't her brother.**_

_Something had gone terribly wrong…_

_Kagura tried asking about it as she was tucked into bed, but he just smiled—an empty smile. Nothing was wrong, he assured her. He had met someone earlier, that was all. **That was all. **_

_"I should thank that man for opening my eyes for the truth," the older sibling confessed, his sky-blue optics narrowing a bit. "…Thanks to him, I realized that in the end_…_only the strongest ones survive."_

_She wondered what he meant by that, but Kamui didn't give a direct answer. _

_"__Tomorrow." Tomorrow night, he promised to show her what he meant._

_When the next morning came, his words had already slipped her mind. That was, until **that** happening occurred and turned her life upside down. No matter how awful the _foreshadows seemed to be_, she hadn't expected this___… ______She hadn't expected it would involve her Papi, Kamui covered in blood once again, and her begging her throat dry for his life to be spared_…___

__The young child didn't know who her brother was talking about__; who he had met that rainy day____…____but whoever that was, said person was to blame for her misery. He turned her brother into a monster, which in return ruined the relationship between Kamui and their father__—and later, also between her parents______… ________Because of that someone, her family fell apart. It didn't matter who he was__…______

____She __loathed him__…________

_[End of Chapter 10]_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Note:<em>**

_Kudos to **FireGemini** and everyone who guessed the person Okita tried to kill was Kamui! _We've finally arrived at the first turning point of this story, but there's more to come. What do you think of the fic so far? Reviews would be very much appreciated.__


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